Exam Guide
The RHIA exam is administered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and is the advanced credential for health information management professionals. RHIA-certified professionals typically hold leadership roles as managers and directors, overseeing information governance, data analytics, revenue cycle operations, and compliance programs across healthcare organizations.
180
Questions
4 Hours
Time Limit
6
Knowledge Domains
$229
AHIMA Member Fee
Health record content and documentation standards, data dictionaries, clinical classification and coding systems, data integrity, and information governance frameworks.
HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, release of information, patient access rights, consent and authorization requirements, breach notification, and security risk analysis.
Health data analytics, statistical methods, data visualization, clinical decision support, health information exchange, and informatics principles.
Revenue cycle management, coding compliance, reimbursement methodologies, charge capture, claims management, and fraud and abuse regulations.
Strategic planning, organizational management, project management, change management, human resources, budgeting, and performance improvement.
Healthcare regulations, corporate compliance programs, accreditation standards, medical staff requirements, risk management, and legal health records.
Education: Bachelor's degree or higher from a CAHIIM-accredited Health Information Management (HIM) program.
RHIA vs. RHIT: The RHIA is the advanced credential. RHIT requires an associate's degree, while RHIA requires a bachelor's degree or higher and prepares candidates for management and director-level positions.
Application: Submit your application through AHIMA and schedule your exam at a Pearson VUE testing center.
The RHIA exam consists of 180 multiple-choice questions: 160 scored and 20 unscored pretest items (you cannot tell which are which). You have 4 hours to complete the exam. It is computer-based and administered at Pearson VUE testing centers. Scoring ranges from 100 to 400, with 300 required to pass. The pass rate is approximately 65-70%.
The exam fee is $229 for AHIMA members and $299 for non-members.
Most successful candidates study for 8-12 weeks using a combination of domain-specific review, practice exams, and flashcards. The Data Content, Structure, and Information Governance domain at 22% deserves significant attention, but do not overlook Leadership (16%) and Access, Disclosure, Privacy, and Security (18%), which together account for over a third of the exam.
RHIApractice provides flashcards, timed mini exams, and full-length 180-question simulations covering all six RHIA domains with the exact weighting used on the real exam.