About Us

The Alaska Health Information Management Association (AKHIMA), formerly known as the Alaska Medical Record Association, was founded in 1969 by a group of medical record professionals interested in improving the quality of health care information throughout the State of Alaska.  Over the years, the Association has grown to accommodate approximately 200 members.  AKHIMA is Alaska’s professional organization of credentialed specialists in health information management (HIM) affiliated with the 71,000+ members within the American Health Information Association (AHIMA).

AKHIMA’s Professional Definition

HIM professionals are the experts who secure, analyze, integrate and manage information that steers the healthcare industry.  At the heart of the profession’s information responsibilities are records, both computer-based and paper, of patients’ health care.  The HIM professional orchestrates the collection of many kinds of data while advocating patient confidentiality and ensuring authorized access to the individual patient record.

AKHIMA Serves…

Patients: by advocating confidentiality of their health information and promoting comprehensive documentation of the medical care they receive.  In an increasingly mobile society, AKHIMA members are key players in the development of the computer-based medical record.

Physicians and other health professionals: by providing the latest developments in health information systems, documentation requirements, data and statistical trends and information for clinical decision-making and patient care planning.

Researchers, government agencies, insurance companies and employers: by providing authorized data and access to our expertise.

Mission 

To advance health information management through professional development, recognition, and member engagement.

Our Members

AKHIMA members are committed to excellence in health information.

Certification

To ensure that its members meet professional standards of excellence, AHIMA issues credentials in health information management, coding, and healthcare privacy and security. Members earn credentials through a combination of education and experience, and finally performance on national certification exams. Following their initial certification, AHIMA members must maintain their credentials and thereby the highest level of competency for their employers and consumers through rigorous continuing education requirements.

Through our national organization, HIM specialists are credentialed in one or more of the following career paths:

Health Information Management

Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) 
Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT)

Coding

Certified Coding Associate (CCA)
Certified Coding Specialist (CCS)
Certified Coding Specialist-Physician-based (CCS-P)
Healthcare Privacy and Security

Privacy and Security

Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security (CHPS)