Health Science


Health Science

Health Science is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses the study of human health, disease prevention, and the healthcare system. It integrates knowledge from the biological, physical, and social sciences to understand and address health-related issues at both individual and population levels.

Master of Health Science Accreditation Standards and Curricular Competencies Development

2025 Call for Public Comment

Call for Public Comment

Master’s Level

CAHIIM welcomes pubic comments, edits, changes, and feedback for the Health Science Accreditation Standards and Curricular Competencies for master’s level programs developed by the CAHIIM Health Science Accreditation Council.

The public will have the opportunity to provide their feedback during two designated open comment periods. The first comment period will open April 9, 2025 and will close on May 22, 2025. The council will review all comments received from the first open comment period. Any necessary modification will be made, and the second draft will be released for a second open public comment period. This will run from July 14, 2025 to September 4, 2025. Changes needed stemming from the second open public comment period will be made to create the final set of accreditation standards and curricular competencies.

The final health science accreditation standards and curricular competencies will be available here once finalized and approved by the CAHIIM board of directors at their meeting in December.

Timeline

Stages / TasksDate
1st Open Comment PeriodApril 9, 2025 – May 22, 2025
Live Virtual Public HearingMay 15, 2025, at 3 PM (CT)
2nd Open Comment PeriodJuly 14, 2025 – September 4, 2025
May 15, 2025, at 3 PM (CT)December 2025
Application OpenFebruary 2026

Health Science Accreditation

Baccalaureate & Associate Level

Standards

Health Science Accreditation Standards

Health Science is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses the study of human health, disease prevention, and the healthcare system. It integrates knowledge from the biological, physical, and social sciences to understand and address health-related issues at both individual and population levels.

CAHIIM Health Science Accreditation Standards incorporate foundational program components such as Sponsorship, Systematic Planning, Program Autonomy and Governance, Curriculum and Program Resources.

Curriculum Requirements
Initial Accreditation
timeline for initial accreditation
Credentialing Disclaimer

In addition to the Letter of Intent, programs must sign the Credentialing Disclaimer statement found here. The document must be signed by someone with signing authority at the institution.     

Click the button below to submit a letter of intent for accreditation and signed credentialing disclaimer.

Website Requirements

Website Publication Requirements

Public Disclosure Policy (see CAHIIM Accreditation Manual)

CAHIIM Accreditation Standards require that all accredited programs make available to the public

  • Their location and accreditation status.
  • Admissions policies and procedures.
  • Policies on advanced placement, transfer of credits, and credits for experiential learning.
  • Number of credits required for completion of the program.
  • Tuition/fees and other costs required to complete the program.
  • Policies and procedures for withdrawal and for refunds of tuition/fees.
  • Academic calendar.
  • Student grievance procedure.
  • Criteria for successful completion of each segment of the curriculum and graduation.

The program and its sponsoring educational institution must accurately represent this information and ensure that the information is published and accessible to all applicants and enrolled students.

Programs accredited by CAHIIM must also use the prescribed CAHIIM Accreditation Statement in all materials and online resources that refer to the program’s accreditation status:

The (HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT/HEALTH INFORMATICS) accreditor of [COLLEGE NAME] is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College’s accreditation for [ASSOCIATE/BACCALAUREATE/MASTER] degree in (HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT/HEALTH INFORMATICS) has been reaffirmed through [YEAR OF NEXT ACCREDITATON CYCLE]. All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed by mail to CAHIIM, 200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601; by phone at (312) 235-3255; or by email at info@cahiim.org. The Accreditation Statement must also include the CAHIIM Seal graphic in the form provided by CAHIIM.

The CAHIIM Seal is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The Seal is for accredited program use only and is to be used 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 in size. Use of any other CAHIIM logo is prohibited. Use of the seal must be in conjunction with the required Accreditation Statement for Maintaining Accreditation. Accredited programs must document the specific recognized campus in all published media. The Seal is available for all accredited programs in the “Resources” tab of the Annual Program Assessment Report (APAR) system. The login permission for the program director in the system allows the Program Directors to access the information. For CAHIIM-accredited programs, the Seal is available in the following formats: png, tif, eps, jpg.

Program and Student Outcome Data

On an annual basis, the program must post the previous year’s program graduation and employment rate, as well as at least one (1) of the following:
i.  retention rate
ii. academic transfer
iii. graduate school entry
iv. 4-year undergraduate program entry/ Academic progression rate
v. student satisfaction rate
vi. certification exam pass rate (if applicable)

Outcome data must be as recent as the academic year reported in the most recent Annual Performance and Accountability Report (APAR). The data must specify the year it represents and be posted within one click of the program’s landing page.

Noncompliance

Yearly, CAHIIM conducts a review of all active accredited programs to confirm compliance with the Public Disclosure policy. If the program is noncompliant with the policy, it is granted 14 days to come into compliance without incurring an administrative fee. If the program remains noncompliant after 14 days, an administrative fee will be charged in accordance with the fee schedule.

If, after 65 days, the program’s website remains noncompliant or incomplete, the program is referred to the programmatic Council for deliberation, who may recommend a written report demonstrating corrective actions, or place the program on show cause for pending accreditation actions.  

CAHIIM Accreditation Manual

For more information about CAHIIM’s Standards revision process, refer to CAHIIM Accreditation Manual.