FAHM study guide
FAHM · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The FAHM (Fellow, Academy of Healthcare Management) is a professional credential intended for healthcare managers and administrators who want to demonstrate breadth across the operational, financial, legal, and clinical-quality dimensions of running a healthcare organization. Candidates typically come from hospital and clinic administration, managed care, consulting, and health information roles, and are usually several years into a management career. The FAHM study guide has 9 sections and about 2,571 words.
01Healthcare Leadership and Organizational Governance
The leadership and governance domain tests how authority, accountability, and decision rights are distributed across a healthcare organization. Candidates should distinguish governance (the board and its committees setting mission, strategy, and oversight) from management (executives executing daily operations).
301 words, about 2 min02Healthcare Finance
Healthcare finance covers how organizations raise, allocate, and control capital. Candidates must understand the core financial statements - balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows - and the ratios derived from them: liquidity (current ratio), solvency (debt-to-equity), profitability (operating margin), and efficiency (days in accounts receivable, asset turnover).
305 words, about 2 min03Reimbursement and Revenue Cycle
The revenue cycle spans pre-service, time-of-service, and post-service activities: scheduling, eligibility verification, prior authorization, coding, charge capture, claims submission, denial management, and collections. Candidates should know the front-end, mid-cycle, and back-end components and the key performance indicators - clean claim rate, days in A/R, denial rate, net collection rate, and cost to collect.
267 words, about 1 min04Health Law, Regulation, and Compliance
This domain covers the legal and regulatory framework governing healthcare. Candidates must know the major fraud and abuse laws: the False Claims Act (including qui tam provisions), the Anti-Kickback Statute (knowingly offering remuneration for referrals), the Stark Law (physician self-referral for designated health services), and the Civil Monetary Penalties Law .
267 words, about 1 min05Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Quality improvement and patient safety tests frameworks for measuring and improving care. Candidates must know Donabedian's model - structure, process, and outcome - and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model for Improvement using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles.
242 words, about 1 min06Health Information Management and Informatics
Health information management (HIM) and informatics covers the capture, storage, protection, and use of health data. Candidates must know the electronic health record (EHR) components, meaningful use/ promoting interoperability, and the role of standards such as HL7, FHIR, ICD-10, CPT, and SNOMED.
281 words, about 1 min07Population Health and Care Management
Population health focuses on outcomes for defined groups and the distribution of those outcomes. Candidates must understand the population health management continuum: identification, stratification, engagement, care coordination, and outcome measurement.
234 words, about 1 min08Strategic Planning and Operations Management
Strategic planning and operations management tests how organizations set direction and run efficiently. Candidates must know the strategic planning cycle: environmental assessment (SWOT), mission/vision/values, goal setting, strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation.
229 words, about 1 min09Human Resources and Professional Development
Human resources and professional development covers workforce planning, recruitment, retention, performance management, and development. Candidates must know the employee lifecycle: workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, development, performance management, and separation.
445 words, about 2 min