Hospital and health system analytics
Epic Clarity/Caboodle reporting, quality metrics (HEDIS, CMS Star Ratings), clinical operations dashboards. CHDA is typically "preferred" rather than required in these postings.
AHIMA certification
CHDA certification: the healthcare data analyst credential.
The Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA) is AHIMA's mid-career credential for healthcare analytics. It signals fluency in data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and governance — the technical work behind HEDIS reporting, Medicare Advantage risk adjustment, population health, and hospital operations dashboards. With only 356 active credential holders as of December 2025, the CHDA is the smallest AHIMA credential, which is part of why it's a meaningful differentiator on a resume.
By Taylor Rupe, editor · Updated
54%
First-time pass (2025)
$259
Exam fee (member)
356
Active CHDAs total
6
Content domains
Key takeaways
The 7 facts that matter most about the CHDA.
- CHDA is AHIMA's healthcare data analytics credential, the bridge from HIM operations work into analyst roles in hospitals, payers, and consulting.
- $259 for AHIMA members, $329 for non-members. Recertification every 2 years.
- 54% first-time pass rate in 2025, up from 49% in 2024 and 48% in 2023. One of AHIMA's harder exams.
- Only 356 active CHDAs nationwide as of December 2025 — the smallest AHIMA credentialed population, which is itself a story angle. Scarcity is a feature, not a bug.
- Eligibility: RHIT or RHIA OR a bachelor's degree (any major) from an accredited institution. AHIMA recommends 3 years of healthcare data experience but does not require it.
- HCISPP is being sunset by ISC2 on December 1, 2026 — CHDA is effectively the surviving credential in the AHIMA/HIM analytics lane.
- Honest salary read: CHDA-credentialed analysts earn ~$70-82K. The widely-cited $107K healthcare data analyst average is driven by senior payer and tech analysts who typically don't carry CHDA. The credential lifts HIM professionals into analyst roles; it doesn't unlock six figures by itself.
What it is
What the CHDA credential is and what it actually signals.
The CHDA credential is issued by AHIMA and recognizes mastery of healthcare data analytics across six functional domains: foundational analytics knowledge, business needs assessment, data acquisition, data analysis, interpretation and reporting, and governance. It's targeted at RHIT/RHIA holders moving from HIM operations into analyst work, and at bachelor's-level professionals (any major) who want a healthcare-specific analytics credential.
What CHDA is good at signaling: "this person understands healthcare data, knows how SQL and analytics tools apply to clinical and claims data, and can navigate the regulatory and governance layer that makes healthcare analytics different from generic analytics." What it doesn't signal: deep technical chops in Python or R, machine learning expertise, or vendor-specific Epic Clarity or Cerner Caboodle skills. Those are picked up through job experience, not the CHDA.
AHIMA reports only 356 active CHDAs nationwide as of December 31, 2025. For context, AHIMA has roughly 30,000 active RHIAs, 37,000 CCS holders, and 7,700 CCAs. CHDA is by far the smallest AHIMA credential by population, which is partly because the credential is newer and partly because the analytics community has historically pursued vendor-specific certs (Tableau, SAS) or broad analytics certs (PMI-PBA) instead. That scarcity is the structural argument for getting the credential: it's a real differentiator on healthcare analyst resumes.
Eligibility
Simpler than older sources claim.
AHIMA simplified CHDA eligibility around the 2024 exam refresh. The current rule: candidates must meet one of two pathways:
Hold an active RHIT or RHIA credential
No degree requirement beyond what those credentials already imply. The natural step-up path for AHIMA-credentialed HIM professionals.
Hold a bachelor's degree or higher
From an accredited college or university, in any major. Computer science, business, public health, statistics, biology — all qualify.
Recommended (not required)
AHIMA recommends 3 years of healthcare data experience covering acquisition, analysis, management, interpretation, reporting, and governance. Older third-party sites (MHA Online, Best Health Degrees) still describe a multi-track pathway with hard experience minimums. Those are out of date — AHIMA's current page lists experience as recommended only. That said, the 48-54% pass-rate range tells you the recommended prep is functionally required if you want to pass on the first try.
Exam structure
142 questions, 3.5 hours, scenario-driven analytics.
The CHDA exam has 142 total items: 121 scored and 21 unscored pretest items used by AHIMA for future calibration. 3.5 hours (210 minutes) to complete. Delivered at Pearson VUE testing centers or via OnVUE remote proctoring.
Candidates can move freely between questions and flag items for review (unlike the one-way navigation on the CCA). Questions are multiple-choice with scenario-based items emphasizing applied analytics: SQL logic, data-quality troubleshooting, KPI interpretation, governance frameworks. Less code memorization than the CCS or CCA; more applied thinking about how to design and interpret an analytics deliverable.
Scoring uses a 100-400 scaled system with a passing score of 300. AHIMA does not publish the raw-to-scaled conversion. Scores are typically available within a few days.
| Detail | CHDA specification |
|---|---|
| Time | 3.5 hours (210 min) |
| Total questions | 142 (121 scored + 21 pretest) |
| Format | Multiple choice with scenario items |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE OR OnVUE remote |
| Navigation | Free movement, flag-for-review supported |
| Passing score | 300 (scaled, 100-400) |
Fees
What the CHDA exam costs.
| Item | Member | Non-member |
|---|---|---|
| Exam fee | $259 | $329 |
| Retake fee | $259 | $329 |
| Recertification (per 2-year cycle) | $100 | $249 |
AHIMA membership runs ~$199/year separately. Member savings on the initial exam plus prep materials typically cover membership cost.
Pass rate
Improving trend across the last 3 cycles.
AHIMA's published CHDA first-time pass rates have trended upward over the last three years:
| Year | First-time pass rate | First-time testers |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 54% | 114 |
| 2024 | 49% | 71 |
| 2023 | 48% | 54 |
Some older blog posts circulate pass rates of 10-26% from 2018-2019 cycles. Those figures pre-date the 2024 content refresh and the broader eligibility relaxation — use the 48-54% range from the current cycles as the authoritative number. The improvement reflects AHIMA's exam-stability work and better candidate self-selection.
The CHDA is still one of AHIMA's harder exams. About half of first-time candidates retake. The Foundational Knowledge of Analytics and Data Analysis domains are typically where candidates struggle.
Exam content
The 6 CHDA content domains.
Effective February 1, 2024, the CHDA exam covers six domains. AHIMA published the new content outline with the 2024 refresh.
Foundational Knowledge of Analytics in Healthcare — 14-16%
New domain added in 2024. Core analytics concepts as they apply to healthcare: descriptive vs predictive analytics, supervised vs unsupervised methods, basic statistics, healthcare-specific data structures.
Business Needs Assessment — 11-15%
Translating stakeholder questions into analytic requirements. Requirements gathering, stakeholder interviews, project scoping, success metric definition.
Data Acquisition
Sourcing data from EHRs, claims feeds, registries, external benchmarks. SQL, ETL, data integration, handling missing data, vendor data quality.
Data Analysis
Applied statistics, exploratory analysis, identifying patterns and outliers in healthcare datasets, basic predictive modeling, validation techniques.
Data Interpretation and Reporting
Visualization design, dashboard architecture, communicating analytic findings to clinical and operational audiences, narrative analytics, executive briefings.
Data Governance
HIPAA privacy in analytics work, data-use agreements, master patient index management, data stewardship roles, audit trails.
For exact percentage weights on all six domains, download the AHIMA CHDA Content Outline PDF.
Study prep
How long to study for the CHDA.
Working healthcare analysts typically prepare 12 weeks at ~10-12 hours per week. AHIMA-affiliated prep programs are structured around this 12-week window. Career-changers without daily analytics work should plan 4-6 months at 10-15 hours per week.
AHIMA-published materials: The official CHDA Exam Preparation, 3rd Edition textbook is the canonical study resource. It includes the print book plus online practice tools and three full-length 150-question practice exams. AHIMA also runs a virtual CHDA Exam Prep Workshop, a 12-week self-paced online course with video lectures and quizzes.
Third-party prep: FHIMA (Florida HIMA) runs a CHDA Exam Prep Course; Lorman Education and Chicago MTI also offer review courses. None are AHIMA-endorsed but they're useful for question stamina.
What to drill: SQL fundamentals (joins, aggregations, window functions), basic descriptive statistics, healthcare KPI interpretation (HEDIS, CMS Stars), and the data governance frameworks (HIPAA, HITECH, 21st Century Cures information-blocking). Pass rates suggest the Foundational Knowledge and Data Analysis domains are the most common failure points.
Credential comparison
CHDA vs HCISPP vs CAHIMS vs PMI-PBA.
First, a content-trap to clear up: "CHDA vs CHIA" is one of the most-searched comparisons, but there is no widely-recognized "CHIA" credential that competes head-to-head with CHDA. "CHIA" most commonly refers to the California HIMA state association, or to a less-recognized international body's credential, or to the CHIA program at HealthInformaticsCertification.com. None compete with CHDA at AHIMA's level. If you've been searching for "CHDA vs CHIA," the actual decision is CHDA versus the credentials listed below.
| Credential | Issuer | Focus | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHDA | AHIMA | Healthcare data analytics | Healthcare-specific, only 356 active holders |
| CAHIMS | HIMSS | Entry-level healthcare IT | $150-$245, 115 questions. Doesn't compete at analyst level. |
| HCISPP | ISC2 | Healthcare info security/privacy | Being sunset Dec 1, 2026. Don't pursue. |
| PMI-PBA | PMI | Business analysis (industry-agnostic) | Requires 36 months BA experience. Overlaps but not healthcare-specific. |
| SAS Clinical Trials | SAS | SAS programming for clinical trials | Tool-locked, pharma-leaning. Different career path. |
HCISPP sunset matters. ISC2 announced HCISPP becomes inactive on December 1, 2026, three years after the final exam administration in 2023. Existing holders get migration pathways to ISC2's Certified in Cybersecurity or Healthcare Certificates. As of late 2026, CHDA becomes effectively the only active healthcare-specific credential in the AHIMA analytics lane — frame this as market consolidation, not as CHDA winning by competition.
CHDA's competitive position: the only vendor-neutral, healthcare-specific data analytics credential from a recognized HIM body. PMI-PBA is broader; SAS is tool-locked and pharma-leaning; HCISPP was a different discipline (security rather than analytics) and is going away. CHDA wins by being the right fit for its narrow lane.
Salary
The honest salary read.
This is where the page can deliver real value because the data is noisier than salary pages typically pretend. Three sources, three different numbers:
PayScale (CHDA-credentialed): Roughly $70,000-$72,000 average, depending on years of experience.
ZipRecruiter (CHDA jobs, 2026): Average $82,640/year nationally; typical range $62,500-$97,000.
Glassdoor (Healthcare Data Analyst, uncredentialed): Average $107,162/year; 25th-75th percentile $81,299-$142,535. This range is higher because it pulls in senior analysts at payer organizations (Optum, Elevance, Humana) and big-tech healthcare arms who typically don't carry CHDA.
AHIMA's marketing claim: CHDA-certified professionals earn 10-15% more than non-certified peers. Treat this as AHIMA-sourced rather than independently verified.
Honest framing: CHDA correlates with mid-career HIM analyst roles in the $70-95K band. The big six-figure healthcare analyst salaries tend to be at payers and tech companies and require SQL/Python/Tableau chops more than they require CHDA. CHDA is a differentiator on resumes, not a six-figure ticket on its own.
Sources: PayScale CHDA, ZipRecruiter CHDA, Glassdoor healthcare data analyst.
Maintenance
Maintaining the CHDA: 30 CEUs every 2 years.
2-year recertification cycle.
30 CEUs required per cycle for a single AHIMA credential. Multi-credential holders add 10 CEUs per additional credential, up to a cap of 50 CEUs per cycle.
HIIM domain rule: 80% of CEUs must align with AHIMA's Health Informatics and Information Management domains. Up to 20% can be on related but outside-domain topics.
40% AHIMA-source requirement (effective January 1, 2025): At least 40% of CEUs must come from AHIMA-produced content (including HCPro, AHIMA Trainer programs, or Component State Association events). The remaining 60% can come from approved third-party providers.
CEU calculation: 0.5 CEU per 30 minutes of qualifying activity. Recertification fee is required at submission.
Source: AHIMA 2025 Recertification Guide.
Career impact
Where CHDA holders work.
CHDA shows up most in three lanes:
Payer analytics
Medicare Advantage risk adjustment, claims analytics, network performance work at Optum, Humana, Elevance, Centene, and Blue Cross plans. These shops more often want SAS or SQL certifications but CHDA helps for HEDIS-adjacent roles.
Population health and ACO analytics
Quality measure reporting, attribution modeling, care gap analytics. CHDA fits here because HIM and coding context matters for measure calculation.
Healthcare consulting
Deloitte, Huron, ECG, Chartis hire analysts with CHDA into provider operations engagements. The credential signals healthcare domain depth that vendor-specific certs don't.
Honest framing
CHDA is a credibility signal, not a gatekeeper. Job listings on Indeed and ZipRecruiter rarely require it. Where it pays off: it gets RHIT and RHIA holders out of the coding/HIM lane into analyst roles. It differentiates resumes for hospital analyst positions where competing candidates have generic data analytics certs (Google, Tableau) without healthcare domain depth. DoD's COOL program lists CHDA as an approved credential for federal civilian healthcare positions.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the CHDA.
Is CHDA worth it if I already work as a healthcare data analyst?+
If you're already credentialed (RHIA, RHIT) and want to formalize your analytics positioning, yes. If you're an uncredentialed senior healthcare data analyst at a payer or tech company already earning six figures, the CHDA adds less value than additional SQL/Python/Tableau skills would. It's most useful for the in-between case: HIM-credentialed professional moving into analyst work.
Does the CHDA require SQL or Python knowledge?+
The exam tests SQL logic at a conceptual level (joins, aggregations, query design) but doesn't require you to write executable SQL. It doesn't test Python or R specifically. The job, however, definitely requires SQL fluency at minimum. If you don't have working SQL skills, build them before sitting for CHDA — your career value-add will be larger than the credential alone.
Can a recent bachelor's grad sit for the CHDA right away?+
Eligibility-wise, yes — a bachelor's degree in any major qualifies. Practically, AHIMA recommends 3 years of healthcare data experience, and the exam reflects that. A recent grad without healthcare analytics work history will likely struggle on the Data Acquisition and Data Analysis domains where applied judgment matters. Better path: land an entry-level analyst role first, then sit for CHDA after 1-2 years.
Will CHDA help me get into payer analytics roles?+
Yes for HEDIS-adjacent and quality-measure roles. Payer organizations also weight SAS certifications heavily (because their analytics tooling is often SAS-based), so combining CHDA with a SAS Base Programmer credential is a strong combination. For pure risk-adjustment analyst roles, AAPC's CRC (Certified Risk Adjustment Coder) is often the preferred credential.
How does CHDA compare to a master's in health informatics?+
Different scope. The CHDA is a credential that signals applied analytics fluency; an MSHI is a degree that teaches the full informatics stack (database design, clinical decision support, interoperability, machine learning). Senior informatics roles (CMIO, informatics director) typically require the master's. Analyst roles often accept either or both. Pursue the CHDA if you already have a bachelor's and want a fast credibility signal; pursue the MSHI if you want long-term career range.
On this page
- What the CHDA credential is
- Who can sit for the CHDA
- Exam structure and scoring
- Fees and total cost
- Pass rate and the small credential pool
- 6 exam content domains
- How to study for the CHDA
- CHDA vs HCISPP vs CAHIMS vs PMI-PBA
- Salary impact (honest version)
- Maintenance and CEUs
- Where CHDA holders work
- Frequently asked questions
Related certifications and roles
Keep exploring.
RHIA certification
Bachelor's HIM credential that waives CHDA degree requirements.
Health Informatics Master's
The deeper informatics path: full stack from database to decision support.
Health Data Analyst career
Day-in-life, education paths, and skill stack for healthcare analytics careers.
Health data analyst salaries
Wages by region, sector, and credential combination.
CHPS certification
Healthcare privacy and security credential — the analytics-adjacent governance role.
HIM vs Health Informatics
The decision framework for which field to enter.
Sources
- AHIMA CHDA certification page. ahima.org/chda
- AHIMA CHDA Content Outline 2023 PDF. content outline
- AHIMA CHDA Exam Prep PDF. exam prep
- AHIMA Recertification Guide 2025. recert guide
- DoD COOL CHDA listing. DoD COOL
- ISC2 HCISPP sunset notice. ISC2 notice
Last refreshed . Always verify current details directly with AHIMA.