American Health Information Management Association

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is a United States professional association for people who organize, analyze, protect, standardize, and use health information. Its work is connected to the infrastructure of healthcare delivery rather than to the provision of medical treatment itself. The association historically developed around the management of hospital clinical records, but its remit has expanded with the transition from paper files to electronic health records, health information technology platforms, clinical decision-support systems, coding systems, privacy programs, and broader healthcare data-management practices. AHIMA traces its origins to 1928, when the American College of Surgeons established the Association of Record Librarians of North America. The original purpose was to improve the quality and consistency of clinical records in hospitals and other medical institutions. As the role of medical records changed, the organization adopted new names that reflected the profession's changing scope and terminology. It became the American Association of Medical Record Librarians in 1938, the American Medical Record Association in 1970, and the American Health Information Management Association in 1991. The organization was incorporated in 1943, with incorporation becoming effective in 1944. The association represents several areas of professional practice. Its credential portfolio covers health information management, medical coding, data analysis, and privacy. The credentials identified in reference material are Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), Certified Coding Associate (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), Certified Coding Specialist–Physician-based (CCS-P), Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA), and Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security (CHPS). Requirements differ by credential: some involve formal education, while others can be pursued through examinations and combinations of education or work experience. Credential holders are also expected to complete continuing education to maintain professional competence. AHIMA's professional ecosystem includes education, credentialing, publications, research, standards-related discussion, and access to a body of knowledge for the field. Its Journal of AHIMA has published both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed material and serves as a channel for professional information on health information management and health information technology. The association also has state-level chapter affiliations, through which members can participate in regional professional networks and activities. Reference material reported more than 71,000 members and a Journal of AHIMA circulation of approximately 61,000 as of 2013; those figures are historical and should not be treated as current membership or circulation data. AHIMA describes its foundation as a sister organization with a charitable and educational role. The foundation supports education and research, develops and communicates professional positions, and helps compile contributions to the AHIMA Body of Knowledge. Together, the association and its related educational activities address the workforce and information-governance needs created by increasingly digital healthcare systems. The organization remains primarily associated with the United States, although the underlying disciplines of health information management, coding, privacy, and health data analysis have international relevance. Its identity is that of a professional membership and credentialing institution rather than a consumer-facing healthcare brand. The main continuity across its history is the effort to raise standards for health information while adapting the profession to new technologies, regulatory expectations, and forms of clinical and administrative data.

AHIMA's history begins in 1928, when the American College of Surgeons created the Association of Record Librarians of North America. The founding objective was to elevate the standards of clinical records in hospitals and other medical institutions. At that time, medical-record work was closely associated with the organization, preservation, and administration of paper-based hospital files. The profession's importance derived from the need for accurate documentation to support patient care, hospital administration, quality review, and emerging expectations for standardized records. In 1938, the organization changed its name to the American Association of Medical Record Librarians. The change reflected the developing identity of the people responsible for maintaining and administering medical records. The organization was incorporated in 1943, and the incorporation became effective in 1944. This formal legal structure provided a durable institutional basis as the association expanded its membership activities and professional programs. A further name change occurred in 1970, when the organization became the American Medical Record Association. The new title moved away from the narrower occupational description of record librarians and emphasized the broader institutional and professional importance of medical records. Over subsequent decades, the field extended beyond the physical management of records to include record quality, documentation practices, coding, information systems, and the use of data in healthcare operations. In 1991, the organization adopted its current name, the American Health Information Management Association. This transition recognized that healthcare information was no longer limited to traditional medical records. Health information management increasingly included electronic records, information technology, data governance, privacy, clinical decision-support systems, analytics, and information created across different parts of the healthcare system. The name also positioned the organization around a profession rather than a single format or storage medium. AHIMA's credentialing activity developed around several distinct areas of practice. The association offers credentials in health information management, coding, data analysis, and privacy. RHIA and RHIT represent the health information management track; CCA, CCS, and CCS-P address coding; CHDA addresses health data analysis; and CHPS addresses healthcare privacy and security. The credential structure reflects the increasing specialization of health information work. Some credentials require formal education, while others may be pursued through examination and relevant education or work experience. Continuing education is required to keep credentials current. The association has also built a professional information and education platform. The Journal of AHIMA publishes material for the field, including both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed articles. AHIMA-related educational work includes professional development, research, opinions, and the compilation of material into the AHIMA Body of Knowledge. Its members are connected to relevant state chapters, giving the national association a local and regional structure within the United States. AHIMA identifies its foundation as a sister organization with charitable and educational purposes. The foundation supports educational initiatives, research, and the development and communication of professional views. This related institutional structure extends AHIMA's role beyond membership representation and credentialing into the advancement of health information knowledge. By the early twenty-first century, AHIMA's subject matter covered the full transition from paper medical records to digital health information environments. The association's historical continuity lies in its effort to improve the quality, accessibility, reliability, and responsible use of healthcare information. Its evolution from a records-focused organization into a health information management association mirrors the wider transformation of healthcare documentation into a strategic digital resource.

• 2013

  Historical membership and publication figures reported

  [1]American Health Information Management Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported more than 71,000 members and Journal of AHIMA circulation of about 61,000. These are historical figures rather than current statistics.

• 1991

  Adopted the AHIMA name

  [1]American Health Information Management Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The organization became the American Health Information Management Association, signaling a wider focus on health information and information systems.

• 1970

  Renamed American Medical Record Association

  [1]American Health Information Management Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The association adopted a broader name as the management of medical records developed beyond the earlier record-librarian model.

• 1943

  Incorporation

  [1]American Health Information Management Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was incorporated; the incorporation became effective in 1944.

• 1938

  First recorded name change

  [1]American Health Information Management Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The organization became the American Association of Medical Record Librarians, reflecting the developing professional identity of medical-record specialists.

• 1928

  Association founded as ARLNA

  [1]American Health Information Management Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The American College of Surgeons established the Association of Record Librarians of North America to improve clinical-record standards in hospitals and other medical institutions.

A professional authority and membership organization for the health information workforce, combining credentialing, education, publications, research, and professional standards across medical records, health information technology, coding, data analysis, and privacy.

• Health information management credential

  RHIA

  Registered Health Information Administrator is one of AHIMA's professional credentials for health information management. It belongs to the administrator-oriented portion of the credential portfolio and is associated with managing health information functions, systems, and processes in healthcare settings. The reference material identifies RHIA as one of the credentials requiring formal education.

• Health information management credential

  RHIT

  Registered Health Information Technician is an AHIMA credential for the health information management workforce. It represents a technical pathway within the profession and supports work involving the organization, maintenance, and use of health information. The credential is part of AHIMA's broader effort to establish competency standards for health information practitioners.

• Medical coding credential

  CCA

  Certified Coding Associate is an AHIMA coding credential. It is intended for competency recognition in medical coding and forms part of the association's coding-focused credential group. AHIMA's coding credentials support professionals working with the classification and documentation processes used in healthcare administration and reimbursement.

• Medical coding credential

  CCS

  Certified Coding Specialist is an AHIMA credential for medical coding professionals. It belongs to the association's specialist coding pathway and is designed to recognize knowledge and applied capability in coding health records and related clinical documentation.

• Physician-based coding credential

  CCS-P

  Certified Coding Specialist–Physician-based is AHIMA's physician-based coding credential. It addresses coding work associated with physician and professional-service documentation and distinguishes that practice area from other coding environments in the association's credential portfolio.

• Health data analysis credential

  CHDA

  Certified Health Data Analyst is AHIMA's credential for health data analysis. It reflects the expansion of the profession into interpreting and using healthcare data, rather than focusing only on record maintenance. The credential aligns with the growing importance of quality, operational, and analytical uses of health information.

• Healthcare privacy credential

  CHPS

  Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security is AHIMA's credential for professionals working with privacy and security responsibilities in healthcare information environments. It reflects the association's role in addressing the governance and protection of increasingly digital health information.

• Professional publication

  Journal of AHIMA

  The Journal of AHIMA is the association's professional publication. It has carried both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed material concerning health information management and related health information technology topics. Reference material reported a circulation of approximately 61,000 in 2013, a historical figure that should not be read as a current circulation count.

• Professional knowledge resource

  AHIMA Body of Knowledge

  The AHIMA Body of Knowledge is a compiled professional resource associated with the association's educational and research activities. AHIMA's foundation is described as helping formulate and issue opinions, support education, conduct research, and compile contributions into this body of knowledge.

1. 1American Health Information Management Associationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2AHIMA official websiteahima.org