Health Information Technology Certification in New Mexico - NM

By RSWiese, allied health world contributing writer
Published: September, 16 2010

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Obtaining the RHIT (Registered Health Information Technician) certification in New Mexico is basically a two-step process: Earn an associate of science degree in Health Information Technology (HIT) from an accredited program and pass a national certification exam. Of course, an associate’s degree requires earning fewer credits and thus takes less time than earning a bachelor’s degree. Although there are fewer credit hours, general education courses are still required. These courses usually include psychology, English, communication, and mathematics. Courses that apply specifically to the health information degree include medical terminology, basic body structure and function (anatomy and physiology), medical coding, ethics, and medical transcribing. Many programs also require a certain number of clinical practice hours.

Once you have earned your degree, you can apply to take the certification exam. This exam includes 150 multiple choice questions that test your proficiency in topics such as medical records technology, external issues (such as HIPPA compliance), and coding. After you have earned this certification, you must earn 20 continuing educational units every two years in order to keep your certified status. The majority of this ongoing education must focus directly on issues and concerns health information technicians face on a regular basis, such as technology, project management, clinical data management, security risk assessment, patient confidentiality issues, record storage concerns, and information integrity maintenance.