New AMIA Health Informatics Certification and First Class of ACHIP Diplomates Signal Advancement for Informatics Workforce
Interdisciplinary professionals certified in health informatics support best practices,
strengthen organizational performance and protect public safety.
The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) is proud to announce the inaugural diplomate class of health informatics professionals bearing the credential AMIA Certified Health Informatics Professional (ACHIP). The 96 professionals are the first to bear the designation and represent an evolution in the health informatics field with the introduction of a certification designed to serve the interprofessional health informatics community—a development contributing to the major systemic overhaul underway in healthcare delivery.
AMIA created the Health Informatics Certification Commission (HICC) to spearhead the new health informatics certification. The AMIA Health Informatics Certification (AHIC) development process spanned more than a decade to define the scope of practice, eligibility requirements, and testing for a range of clinicians and professionals in nursing, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nutrition and public health. The practice task analysis survey of the field engaged more than 1600 professionals.
"We congratulate the newly certified leaders of the health informatics field, as they lead improvements in healthcare delivery. These professionals represent the best in their field, demonstrating the skill, knowledge and experience required for competence in the practice of health informatics. Informatics solutions in healthcare help deliver better evidence-based outcomes for consumers and their healthcare delivery organizations," said Joseph Hales, PhD, FACMI, Chair and Catherine Ivory, PhD, RN-BC, RNC-OB, FAAN, Vice-Chair of HICC.
The certification advances the field and the role of informaticians in improving healthcare. The creation of the new certification standardizes expectations for the skills, knowledge and experience of qualified health informatics professionals and provides an immediately recognized credential for organizations hiring informaticians.
"For organizations tackling challenges in HIT governance, patient safety, quality metrics and innovations in population health, bringing highly qualified, certified health informatics professionals to the table is critical to transformation. Whether in practice or research, the ACHIP designation certifies excellence," said Gretchen Purcell Jackson, MD, PhD, FACS, FACMI, FAMIA, AMIA Board Chair and President.
The AHIC exam was administered October 2021 – January 2022. Applications for 2022 exams are accepted daily and testing may occur any time after eligibility acceptance and notification from the Health Informatics Certification Commission. Eligibility checks with the certification staff are free of charge. For more information Contact Chelsea D. Earhart, MBA, CAE, ICE-CCP Director of Certification via certification@amia.org or 301-637-3757 ext. 107. Visit HealthInformaticsCertification.org.
Visit the ACHIP directory for a complete list of diplomates.