About CAHIIM

sunrise over mountains

Value & Awareness

The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) strives to provide the public with effective and consistent quality monitoring of health informatics and health information management programs through maintenance of accreditation processes.

CAHIIM is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).  More information about CAHIIM’s CHEA recognition can be found below.

The CAHIIM Vision

A new era in innovation and educational excellence that supports public trust and workforce competence.

Statement of Scope

CAHIIM, a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, accredits associate and baccalaureate degree programs in health information management, and masters’ degree programs in the health informatics and health information management professions in the United States and Puerto Rico.

When a program is accredited by CAHIIM, it means that it has voluntarily undergone a rigorous review process and has been determined to meet or exceed the Standards set by the Board of Directors.

The CAHIIM Mission

Provide innovative leadership that drives enhanced workforce competence by ensuring educational excellence.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Inclusive Leadership Plan - DEI
- Establish a culturally safe environment that respects the diverse contributions and recognizes the identity of others
- promote values of inclusivirty, equity, and diversity
- promote inclusive worldviews of health informatics and health information management educational leadership
Benefits of Accreditation

Public Value

  • By stating that a program has met established academic standards, CAHIIM accreditation provides the following values.

For Students

  • Allows applicant and prospective students to identify institutions and programs that meet established standards for professional career entry.

For Academic Institutions

  • Provides a structured framework for ensuring sound educational practices, which involve faculty and staff in a comprehensive evaluation plan for the academic program;
  • Stimulates self-improvement by providing nationally acceptable standards against which the program can self-evaluate to meet the needs of students, the profession, and the public;
  • Provides a frame of reference for the program to identify resources that may be needed to maintain or enhance the curriculum;
  • Provides consultative feedback on possible areas of concern and where excellence is achieved.

For the Community and the Public

  • Provides outcomes information about the academic program by a peer review organization whose function is to assess quality and content of the educational experience with entry- level competencies for the profession and the public;
  • Supports the process of professional certification by providing reasonable assurance of quality educational preparation and learning outcomes;
  • Provides an implied level of assurance of a quality health care workforce dedicated to the safety and protection of health information through quality educational preparation.

For Employers

  • Provides assurance that graduates of a program accredited by CAHIIM have achieved an acceptable level of quality.
Degree Mills & Accreditation Mills

Potential students and the public must be aware of ‘degree mills’ and ‘accreditation mills’ which include providers of educational offerings or operations that offer certificates and degrees that are fraudulent, and providers of accreditation and quality assurance that may offer a certification of quality of academic institutions or programs without a proper basis to do so. Such degree mills and accreditation mills mislead and harm the uninformed public and may be costly in terms of education dollars wasted and unusable credentials. We encourage you to go to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s (CHEA) website for various papers and links to state-by-state and international listings of known degree and accreditation mills.

Become aware of the impact and harm of degree and accreditation mills on students and the public. Learn the importance of external quality review.

Important Questions about Degree Mills and Accreditation Mills

Degree Mills: An Old Problem and a New Threat

Seal of Accreditation
CAHIIM Accredited Program official seal; two green garlands making a U-shape around a large capital "II" standing for the two "I"s, and the words "CAHIIM ACCREDITED PROGRAM"

CAHIIM Seal of Accreditation

Seal registered in U.S. Patent Trademark Office.

Accredited programs must document the specific recognized campus in all published media.

Policy for Use

The Seal is for accredited program use only for announcements and published statements of accredited status. Use by programs in Candidacy Status or non accredited status is prohibited. It must be used in its entirety and not modified other than size. Use of any other CAHIIM Logo is prohibited.

Use of the Seal must be used in conjunction with the required Accreditation Statement for Maintaining Accreditation.

Example:

The Associate Degree, Health Information Management Program at School University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

To obtain the Seal

The Seal is available in the Resources tab of the Annual Program Assessment Report (APAR) system. Program Directors only must log on to access the information.

Available Seal Formats

For CAHIIM Accredited Programs, the Seal is available in the following formats:

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  • jpg
CHEA
CHEA - Council for Higher Education Accreditation
CHEA International Quality Group (CIQG)
A CHEA-recognized Accrediting Organization

CHEA

The Council for Higher Education and Accreditation (CHEA), a national advocate and institutional voice for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation, is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities and recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations. For more information about CHEA, go to chea.org.

ASPA
ASPA Logo - green Isosceles triangle and blue Isosceles triangle + the letters ASPA

ASPA

The Association for Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) provides a collaborative forum and a collective voice for the community of organizations in the United States that assess the quality of specialized and professional higher education programs and schools. ASPA represents its members on issues of educational quality facing institutions of higher education, governments, students, and the public. ASPA advances the knowledge, skills, good practices, and ethical commitments of accreditors, and communicates the value of accreditation as a means of enhancing educational quality.

Specialized and Professional Accrediting organizations in the United States operate to ensure that students in educational programs receive an education consistent with standards for entry to practice or advanced practice in each of their respective fields or disciplines. With approximately 60 member agencies, ASPA is the only unified, national voice that supports the importance of specialized and professional accreditation. CAHIIM has been a proud member of ASPA since 2005 and subscribes to the ASPA Code of Good Practice ASPA Code of Good Practice.  For more information about ASPA, go to ASPA-USA.org.

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (“CAHIIM,” “we,” or “us”) has created and posted this privacy policy in an effort to maintain efficient service while respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information. This privacy policy covers the following topics:

  • Information Collection
  • Children’s Information
  • Information Use
  • Information Sharing
  • Access to and Control of Information
  • Data Security
  • Data Retention
  • Data Transfer
  • External Links
  • Privacy Policy Updates
  • Acceptance of Privacy Policy Terms
  • CAHIIM Contact Information

Information Collection

This privacy policy applies to information that CAHIIM collects (i) on the CAHIIM Website (Site); (ii) through other platforms used in connection with the services that we provide; and (iii) by telephone, email, text message, letter, or other methods of communication. When you use our services, we collect information provided voluntarily as well as information collected automatically, as described in detail below.

Information Provided Voluntarily

  • Enrollment, Registration, and Order Form Information: In order to enroll in or register for a CAHIIM program, or attend CAHIIM events, meetings, or conferences, you will be required to fill out a registration or order form and provide personal information, which we will use to process your registration or order. In certain circumstances, a program, event, meeting, or conference accessed through the Site may be jointly sponsored or co-sponsored with another organization. If the enrollment or registration is handled by such other organization, that organization’s (not CAHIIM’s) privacy policy will apply and be controlling. Please note that CAHIIM is not responsible for the privacy policies of such other organizations or their collection, use, sharing, or other processing of your personal or other information, and CAHIIM hereby disclaims any liability or responsibility in connection therewith.
  • Payment Information: If you choose to enroll in or register for a CAHIIM program, or attend CAHIIM events, meetings, or conferences, we and/or our third-party payment processors will collect your payment information, including, but not limited to, your credit or debit card number, card verification value (CVV) number, and expiration date.
  • Accredited Entity or Prospective Accredited Entity. We will collect information that you provide to us, which we will use in a manner consistent with the CAHIIM Accreditation Manual.
  • Peer Reviewer Information: We will collect personal information that you provide to us, including, but not limited to, [your name; e-mail addresses;]. Such information is necessary to facilitate your access to, use of, information for your use in performing the peer reviewer function.

Information Collected Automatically

  • Automated Information: Your Web browser or mobile device automatically provides information when you visit the Site, including, but not limited to, your Internet Protocol (IP) address or unique device identifier
  • Cookies: Cookies are pieces of stored information on a user’s computer or device that are tied to information about the user and used to provide smoother navigation throughout the Site, such as to store a saved password; to identify user trends, such as page views; and for other internal purposes, such as to assess the effectiveness of the Site. The Site uses session ID cookies, which terminate when a user closes the browser. You will be asked to consent to the use of cookies in accordance with this privacy policy when you visit the Site. You have the option of setting your computer to disable cookies or to alert you when cookies are being used. If you choose to disable cookies, please be aware that portions of the Site may not function properly.
  • Log Files: Log files store information such as a user’s IP address, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and number of clicks. Like most Websites, the Site uses log files to analyze trends, administer the Site, and track users’ movement on the Site.

Children’s Information

The Site and our services and products are not directed toward children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If we become aware that a child has provided us with information without parental consent, that information will be deleted from our records.

Information Use

CAHIIM uses the information that we collect to provide our services and to operate our business. We may use and store such information for legitimate and lawful business purposes, for example, in order to:

  • provide a service you requested;
  • notify you of CAHIIM official business, news, activities, programs, events, meetings, conferences, and services;
  • track event, meeting, and conference attendance;
  • prepare invoices and process payments;
  • respond to communications and inquiries that you send to us; and
  • for other legitimate and lawful business purposes.

For individuals located in the European Economic Area (EEA), we rely on multiple legal bases to collect, use, share, or otherwise process your personal data, including that:

  • you have given consent, which you may withdraw at any time
  • it is necessary for us to perform a contract with you;
  • it is necessary for us to comply with legal obligations;
  • it is necessary for our or a third party’s legitimate interest;
  • it is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions; and/or
  • it is necessary to protect someone’s life.

To the extent we rely on our legitimate interests as a legal basis to collect, use, share, or otherwise process your personal data, those interests include, for example: providing a service you requested; notifying you of CAHIIM official business, news, activities, programs, events, meetings, conferences, and services; tracking event, meeting, and conference attendance; preparing invoices and processing payments; responding to communications and inquiries that you send to us; and promoting the function, safety, and security of our services.

Information Sharing

CAHIIM uses the information that we collect to provide our services and to operate our business. We may use and store such information for legitimate and lawful business purposes, for example, in order to:

  • Your name and contact information, as provided to CAHIIM, may appear on registration or attendee lists distributed at CAHIIM programs, events, meetings, and conferences to other attendees, including members, and other third parties, including, but not limited to, exhibitors or sponsors. We are not responsible for use or misuse of your personal information by exhibitors, sponsors, or the like.
  • We may share your personal information with third parties that provide services to CAHIIM including, but not limited to, administration/operation support; marketing, promotions, and communications; program, event, meeting, or conference enrollment, registration, planning, hosting, or management; Website hosting; database management; payment card processing; or other data processing.
  • We also may disclose personal information if we become subject to a subpoena, court order, or law enforcement or other government agency inquiry or investigation or if we are otherwise legally required to disclose such information. We also may use and disclose information about you to establish or exercise our legal rights, to assert and defend against legal claims, or if we believe such disclosure is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take other action regarding actual or suspected illegal or fraudulent activities or potential threats to the physical safety or well-being of any person.
  • If all or part of CAHIIM is merged into or otherwise transferred to another entity, we may transfer the personal information you provided to us to such entity as part of that transaction.

Access to and Control of Information

CAHIIM takes your privacy and the protection of your personal information seriously, and we will provide you with reasonable access to and control of the personal information that you have provided to us. You may request to update your personal information or to opt in to or opt out of any service offerings at any time.

For individuals located in the EEA, you may have additional rights concerning your personal data, such as to access, obtain a copy of, correct, or delete that information or to withdraw your consent or object to the collection, use, sharing, or other processing of that information. To make any request with respect to your personal information, please contact CAHIIM as set forth below in the “CAHIIM Contact Information” section.

Data Security

We employ reasonable physical, electronic, and procedural security measures to safeguard your personal information and to help protect against unauthorized access and disclosure. Online registration information, such as payment card information, will be secured using a commercially accepted method of encryption. However, please be aware that no method of electronic transmission is completely infallible, and we cannot guarantee its absolute safety. We encourage you to use reasonable care in how you handle and disclose your personal information, user name(s), and password(s). If you become aware of any breach of Site security, please contact us immediately.

Data Retention

CAHIIM retains your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected as set forth in this privacy policy, after which we will securely destroy or delete such personal information from our records unless otherwise required by law. We will retain and use information as necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and as otherwise set forth in this privacy policy.

Data Transfer

If you are visiting the Site from outside the United States, please be aware that you are sending information, including personal data, to the United States where our servers are located. That information may then be transferred within the United States or to other countries outside the United States other than your country of residence. Countries other than your country of residence, including the United States, may have data privacy and protection laws that differ from, and potentially provide less protection than, the applicable laws in your country of residence.

To the extent that CAHIIM may be deemed to have transferred personal data outside of the EEA, we rely on multiple legal bases for doing so. For individuals located in the EEA: (i) you consent to our use of your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy, including the transfer of your information across international boundaries to jurisdictions anywhere in the world as permitted by applicable law, when you provide your personal information; (ii) we will use the standard contractual data protection clauses adopted by the European Commission, which provide safeguards for the transfer of such data, in connection with the provision of certain services that involve such transfers; and (iii) we may obtain separate consent in connection with the provision of certain services that involve the transfer of personal data.

Our collection, use, sharing, and other processing of your personal information will at all times be governed by this privacy policy.

There are external links to other Websites throughout the Site. Please note that CAHIIM is not responsible for the privacy policies of those other Websites and hereby disclaims any liability or responsibility in connection with such linked Websites.

Privacy Policy Updates

Should any changes be made to this privacy policy, we will post them on this page with an appropriate explanation.

Acceptance of Privacy Policy Terms

Using the CAHIIM Site indicates your acceptance of our privacy policy. Your continued visits to the CAHIIM Site after changes are posted to this policy will signify your acceptance of those changes.

CAHIIM Contact Information

If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy or how we process personal information, or if you would like to exercise any of the legal rights set forth in this policy, please contact us at:

Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education

200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100

Chicago, IL 60601

Telephone: (312) 235-3255

Email: info@cahiim.org

January 2020