If you need help studying for the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS®) exam or just want some more information about what the exam is like, you’ve come to the right place.
Click below to take a free CPHIMS practice test!
Exam Eligibility
Before you can register to take the CPHIMS exam, you’ll have to meet at least ONE of the requirements below:
- You need at least 10 years of experience with information and management systems, including at least 8 years in a healthcare setting
- You need a graduate degree or higher and at least 3 years of experience with information and management systems, including at least 2 years in a healthcare setting
- You need a baccalaureate degree or higher and at least 5 years of experience with information and management systems, including at least 3 years in a healthcare setting
If you meet one of these requirements, you’re set to begin the registration process!
What’s on the Exam?
The CPHIMS exam is made up of 100 multiple-choice questions, and you’ll have 2 hours to complete it. There aren’t any scheduled breaks, but you’re free to take restroom breaks as needed.
Each question falls under one of the following three cognitive levels:
- 🧠 Recall: The recall questions test your ability to recall/recognize information.
- 🛠️ Application: The application questions test your ability to apply knowledge to given situations.
- 🔍 Analysis: The analysis questions test your ability to analyze and evaluate solutions.
The exam is split into four sections.
1. Healthcare and Technology Environments
25% of the exam
- Understanding how laws, regulations, accreditation standards, and compliance requirements affect healthcare information systems
- Comparing different types of healthcare organizations, including their functions, services, and patient populations
- Understanding how departments, facilities, providers, and outside organizations work together across the healthcare system
- Recognizing how healthcare information and management systems professionals operate within different organizational structures
- Identifying the technology infrastructure needed to support healthcare operations and services
- Using healthcare technology trends to support better care delivery and patient outcomes
- Recognizing common healthcare applications and how they are used in clinical and administrative settings
2. Clinical Informatics
20% of the exam
- Understanding common healthcare IT terms used in informatics settings
- Understanding basic clinical terminology used in healthcare informatics
- Recognizing clinical measures used to evaluate care quality, performance, and outcomes
- Developing system features that improve clinical workflows, effectiveness, and efficiency
- Supporting the creation and ongoing maintenance of clinical content and decision-support resources
- Using analytics tools to evaluate operational performance and clinical results
3. Healthcare Information and Systems Management
30% of the exam
- Assessing workflows, system requirements, data needs, and organizational gaps
- Choosing appropriate systems, vendors, tools, and technology solutions
- Applying privacy and security practices that protect healthcare information and support compliance
- Planning system designs that meet clinical, operational, and business needs
- Coordinating system rollouts, training, user adoption, and change management
- Providing ongoing support for users, systems, and technology services
- Keeping systems reliable, current, secure, and aligned with organizational needs
- Testing systems and processes to confirm performance, usability, and expected results
4. Management and Leadership
25% of the exam
- Supporting long-term organizational planning through healthcare IT insight and recommendations
- Creating IT strategies, goals, and departmental priorities that support broader organizational objectives
- Overseeing budgets, financial planning, cost controls, and technology-related financial risk
- Managing vendor relationships, partner agreements, service expectations, and contract obligations
- Keeping the organization prepared for current and emerging healthcare IT tools, practices, and trends
- Assessing whether staff have the information systems knowledge and skills needed for their roles
- Establishing healthcare IT roles, responsibilities, staffing needs, and job expectations
- Measuring individual, team, departmental, and system performance
- Evaluating whether systems, services, and technology solutions are meeting user and organizational needs
- Using benchmark data and comparative analysis to evaluate performance and guide decisions
- Communicating data findings, conclusions, and recommendations to leadership and other stakeholders
How to Register
To get started, you’ll need to submit an application on the HIMSS® website. The application will ask you for your contact information and any documentation to prove your eligibility (among other things).
CPHIMS Study Guide and Flashcards
Get practice questions, detailed study lessons, and complex subjects broken down into easily understandable concepts.
Exam Scores
The test is scored using a scaled scoring method. Here’s how it works:
For every question you answer correctly, you get one point added to your raw score. At the end of the test, your final raw score will be converted to a scaled score. This scaled score will range somewhere between 200 and 800.
The reason your raw score is converted to a scaled score is because everyone who takes the test is given a slightly different set of questions. Since everyone has a different arrangement of questions, and because some questions are harder than others, converting your raw score to a scaled score ensures a more even playing field.
Retaking the Exam
If you didn’t get a passing score on your first try, that’s okay! You can retake the test after a 60-day waiting period.
Keep in mind that you will have to pay the $319 retake fee every time you retake the test.
FAQs
How many questions are on the CPHIMS exam?
The exam contains 190 questions.
What is the time limit for the CPHIMS exam?
The exam is timed at 2 hours.
What is the passing score for the CPHIMS exam?
You’ll need to get a final score of at least 600 to pass the exam
How much does the CPHIMS exam cost?
The exam fee is $699.
CPHIMS® and HIMSS® are registered trademarks of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, which is not affiliated with Mometrix Test Preparation, and does not endorse, sponsor, or approve of any of the products or services offered or sold by Mometrix Media LLC.