RHIT study guide
RHIT · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) is a credential administered by the AHIMA Commission on Certification for Health Informatics and Information Management (CCHIIM). It is designed for professionals who ensure the quality of medical and health records by verifying completeness, accuracy, and proper entry into computer systems, and for those who specialize in coding diagnoses and procedures for reimbursement and research. The RHIT study guide has 6 sections and about 1,561 words.
01Data Content, Structure, and Information Governance
Health information professionals must know the data elements that make up a health record, the standardized data sets used in each care setting, and how records are organized. UHDDS is the inpatient acute-care data set; MDS applies to long-term care, OASIS to home health, and DEEDS to emergency department care.
303 words, about 2 min02Access, Disclosure, Privacy, and Security
HIPAA governs use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI). Treatment, payment, and health care operations (TPO) permit use or disclosure without authorization, subject to the minimum-necessary standard for non-treatment uses.
266 words, about 1 min03Data Analytics and Use
Understand descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics; descriptive summarizes what happened. Know measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and dispersion, and when the median is preferred for skewed data such as length of stay.
250 words, about 1 min04Revenue Cycle Management
The revenue cycle runs from scheduling and registration through coding, charge capture, claim submission, payment posting, denial management, and collections. Front-end errors such as eligibility, demographics, and insurance verification create denials that are expensive to fix later.
261 words, about 1 min05Compliance
Compliance means following laws, regulations, and payer rules. Key statutes: HIPAA/HITECH for privacy and security, False Claims Act for fraud and qui tam actions, Anti-Kickback Statute for remuneration for referrals in federal programs, Stark for physician self-referral, EMTALA for emergency screening, CLIA for laboratories, OSHA for workplace safety, and Medicare Conditions of Participation.
245 words, about 1 min06Leadership
Know the difference between leadership (vision, influence) and management (planning, organizing, staffing, controlling). Classic theories include Maslow's hierarchy, Herzberg's motivators and hygiene factors, McGregor's Theory X and Y, and Lewin's change model (unfreeze, change, refreeze).
236 words, about 1 min