Individuals who earn the CHDA designation will achieve recognition of their expertise in health data analysis and validation of their mastery of this domain. This certification provides practitioners with the knowledge to acquire, manage, analyze, interpret, and transform data into accurate, consistent, and timely information, while balancing the "big picture" strategic vision with day-to-day details.
CHDA-credentialed professionals exhibit broad organizational knowledge and the ability to communicate with individuals and groups at multiple levels, both internal and external.
Candidates located in the United States will now have the choice to take their certification exam at a Pearson VUE authorized test center, or online with OnVUE in the comfort of their home. Visit our webpage to learn more about remote exam test taking.
Candidates must meet one of the following eligibility requirements to sit for the CHDA examination:
While not required, the following are recommended:
Prepare for the CHDA exam with a simulated exam experience in this textbook and accompanying online practice tools such as three 150-question exams that cover all six of the CHDA domains. This book provides the most comprehensive CHDA preparation on the market.
CHDA Exam Preparation CourseAs of 12/31/2023, there were 321 certified CHDA professionals.
* U.S. and Canada results only
The CHDA is a timed exam. Candidates have 3.5 hours to complete the exam. The total number of questions on the exam is 142. There are 121 scored items and 21 pretest 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 pretest questions randomly distributed throughout the exam. Pretest questions are not counted in the final results.
Competencies for the CHDA fall into five 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. (The 2024 exam content outline effective on 02/01/2024 competencies fall into six domains.)
Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA ® ) Previous Exam Content Outline Effective through 01/31/2024
Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA ® ) 2024 Exam Content Outline Effective 02/01/2024
In 2023, the American Health Information Management Association ® (AHIMA) began a job task analysis for the Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA ® ) professional certification. The purpose of the current job analysis study was to validate the current tasks that are in the content outline for the CHDA program as well as identify additional tasks that may be required for CHDAs in their current role. The result of the CHDA job task analysis study resulted in an updated Content Outline to ensure the most current state of practice is being tested in the examination. You can look at the 2024 CHDA Content Outline as well as a “2024 Crosswalk” that shows and highlights the changes between the previous Content Outline and the new one.