Certifications
The Beta period for the RHIT exam will start on Oct. 01, 2022. Beta exam results will only be provided following the examination review and determination of the passing standard. The time between the end of the examination administration period and the release of scores to candidates will be up to ten weeks. Please do not contact AHIMA or Pearson VUE during this time. All Beta candidates will receive an email notification when their results are read.
While most RHITs work in hospitals, they are also found in other healthcare settings including office-based physician practices, nursing homes, home health agencies, mental health facilities, and public health agencies. RHITs may also be employed in any organization that uses patient data or health information, such as pharmaceutical companies, law and insurance firms, and health product vendors.
RHITs:
Candidates must meet one of the following eligibility requirements to sit for the RHIT examination:
Apply to take the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) exam.
Students in CAHIIM-accredited HIM academic programs may be eligible to apply for and take the RHIA or RHIT certification exam early. Students who meet the following requirements are eligible for early testing:
To apply to take the exam early, purchase the exam through the AHIMA Store. Complete the online exam application, select the early testing options and upload the completed application for early testing. Please be sure to only submit your exam application with the completed application for early testing, otherwise your application will not be approved.
Candidates who apply for early testing and successfully pass their exam will have their credential granted once official transcripts that include the graduation date are received and verified. Recertification requirements are the same as for others who pass the exam. The exam date will serve as the official date the credential is granted.
Certified Professionals and Pass Rates
As of 12/31/19, there were 32,714 certified RHIT professionals.
Year |
Exam |
# First Time Testers |
Pass Rate First Time Testers |
2021* |
RHIT |
1,803 |
69% |
2020* |
RHIT |
1,634 |
78% |
2019* |
RHIT |
2,160 |
76% |
*U.S. and Canada results only
Exam Specifications
The RHIT is a timed exam. Candidates have 3.5 hours to complete the exam. The total number of questions on the exam range between 130 and 160 total items. The exam is given in a computer-based format.
AHIMA exams contain a variety of questions or item types that require you to use your knowledge, skills, and/or experience to select the best answer. Each exam includes scored questions and pre-test questions randomly distributed throughout the exam. Pre-test questions are not counted in the final results.
The passing score for the RHIT is 300.
Competencies for RHITs fall into six domains. Each domain accounts for a specific percentage of the total questions on the certification exam. See the Exam Content Outline below for greater detail.
Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) 2021 Exam Content Outline Effective through 09/30/2022
Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) 2022 Exam Content Outline Effective 10/1/2022
In 2021, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) began a job task analysis for the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) professional certification. The purpose of the current job analysis study was to validate the current tasks that are in the content outline for the RHIT program as well as identify additional tasks that may be required of RHITs in their current role. The result of the RHIT job task analysis study resulted in an updated Content Outline (CO) to ensure the most current state of practice is being tested in the examination. You can look at the new RHIT Content Outline below as well as a “RHIT 2022 Content Outline Crosswalk” that shows and highlights the changes between the old Content Outline and the new one.
Download 2021 Exam Content Outline Download 2022 Exam Content Outline RHIT 2022 Content Outline Crosswalk
Domain 1 – Data Content, Structure, and Information Governance (24-28%)
Tasks:
Domain 2 – Access, Disclosure, Privacy, and Security (12-16%)
Tasks:
Domain 3 – Data Analytics and Use (14-18%)
Tasks:
Domain 4 – Revenue Cycle Management (14-18%)
Tasks:
Domain 5 – Compliance (13-17%)
Tasks:
Domain 6 – Leadership (11-15%)
Tasks: