Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS)

The world of Health IT is full of acronyms.You can expect to see this one after many people's names fairly soon. It's CPHIMS. Do you know what it stands for?

Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS)

CPHIMS is a professional certification program for healthcare information and management systems professionals. Individuals who meet eligibility criteria and successfully complete the CPHIMS exam are designated a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS).The CPHIMS credential provides both internal and external rewards. It is a mechanism to validate your skill, knowledge and abilities.

• Distinguish yourself from your peers as certified in healthcare information and management systems;
• Expand your career opportunities;
• Validate your healthcare information and management systems knowledge, competency and credibility;
• Provide yourself with skills and tools to help you make a difference in your career, your organization, and your community;
• Demonstrate your commitment to continuing professional development;
• Enjoy the pride of recognition of knowing that you are among the elite in a critical field of healthcare; and
• Hold a premier credential based on a sound assessment to distinguish yourself in an increasingly competitive marketplace. 

In order to become a CPHIMS, you must pass an exam. That's right, it's time to study and look for some test-prep courses.

The examination consists of 115 multiple-choice test items, presented during a 2-hour session. Scoring is based on 100 items pre-selected for desirable psychometric characteristics. The additional 15 test items are included as pretest items. Performance on pretest items does not affect a candidate’s score.

Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility standards are designed to include those experienced in healthcare information and management systems, but exclude others. To participate in the CPHIMS examination, a candidate must qualify under one of the following options.

• Baccalaureate degree plus five (5) years of associated information and management systems experience*, three (3) of those years in healthcare.
• Graduate degree plus three (3) years of associated information and management systems experience*, two (2) of those years in healthcare.

*Associated information and management systems experience includes experience in the following functional areas: administration/management, clinical information systems, e-health, information systems, or management engineering.

How many CPHIMS are out there? Right now, the list is relatively small. In fact, you can view that list right here. However, you can be sure that this list will grow considerably over the next few years as ARRA dollars get poured into the health care system (HITECH provisions within ARRA).

To learn more, visit: http://www.himss.org/ASP/certification_cphims.asp