Massachusetts / Health information management programs

Best CAHIIM-accredited health information management programs in Massachusetts, ranked (2026)

Massachusetts has 4 CAHIIM-accredited HIM programs. We score every program on our seven-factor methodology. Top: Springfield Technical Community College's AAS, scoring 80/100.

Taylor Rupe, founder of healthinformationmanagementprograms.com

by , founder & editor

updated

Boston, Massachusetts
4

Programs ranked

80

Top score

$60K

MA median HIM wage

3,500

HIM jobs in MA

Key Takeaways

  • Springfield Technical Community College AAS ranks #1 in Massachusetts (80/100). Continuing CAHIIM with the longest review cycle in MA (2033-2034), Western MA / Baystate pipeline.
  • Massachusetts has 2 CAHIIM-accredited master's programs: BU MS Health Informatics (R1 private research university) and UMass Lowell MS HIM (public UMass system).
  • Massachusetts has 4 active CAHIIM-accredited programs: 2 AAS and 2 master's. MA does not currently have a CAHIIM-accredited BSHIM.
  • Boston is one of the densest US academic-medical-center clusters: MGH, Brigham, BIDMC, Boston Children's, Dana-Farber, Tufts Medicine, and the BU + Harvard + Tufts medical-school research enterprise.
  • Median HIM salary in Massachusetts is 60,350 per BLS OEWS May 2025. 90th pct 81,620. 3,500 working in this occupation.
  • Mass General Brigham is the largest MA system (formerly Partners HealthCare), followed by Beth Israel Lahey Health (post-2019 merger), Boston Children's, Tufts Medicine, Baystate Health (Springfield), UMass Memorial Health (Worcester), and Cambridge Health Alliance.
  • Mass HIway is Massachusetts's state-operated HIE, launched in 2012 by the Massachusetts eHealth Institute under EOHHS.
  • Massachusetts medical record retention is 20 years for adult hospital records (105 CMR 130.370) and 30 years for minor records, one of the longest retention regimes in the country.

How we ranked

Our ranking methodology in one paragraph.

Every program is CAHIIM-accredited. We score each one 0-10 on seven factors: CAHIIM accreditation maturity (25%), program director credentials (15%), degree-level pathways (15%), delivery flexibility (15%), employer pipeline (15%), cost-effectiveness (10%), institutional reputation (5%).

Read the full methodology →

Programs taking applications in Massachusetts now

HIM, health informatics, and medical coding programs currently accepting students.

The ranked programs

The 4 CAHIIM-accredited HIM programs in Massachusetts, ranked.

RankInstitutionDegreeCityScoreCAHIIM
#1 Springfield Technical Community College AAS Springfield 80/100 Continuing
#2 University of Massachusetts - Lowell MS Lowell 78.5/100 Initial
#3 Fisher College AAS Boston 75.5/100 Continuing
#4 Boston University MS Informatics Boston 71.5/100 Initial
#1
80/100

Overall score

Springfield Technical Community College

Best Western Massachusetts AAS (longest CAHIIM review cycle in MA)

AAS Springfield, MA Campus Based, Online CAHIIM Continuing Next Review 2033-2034

Why it ranks #1

Springfield Technical Community College. Director Laura Piquette holds MHA + RHIA. Continuing CAHIIM with the longest review cycle of any MA program, next review 2033-2034. Hybrid delivery. Feeds Baystate Health (the dominant Western MA system) and Trinity Health Of New England (cross-border CT).

Program Director

Laura Piquette , MHA, RHIA

Address

One Armory Square, Springfield, MA, 01102

Contact

(413) 755-5461
lpiquette@stcc.edu

Score breakdown

Accreditation (25%)10/10
Director credentials (15%)8/10
Pathways (15%)4/10
Delivery (15%)8/10
Employer pipeline (15%)8/10
Cost (10%)10/10
Reputation (5%)6/10
Overall80/100

Visit program at stcc.edu → · CAHIIM directory listing

#2
78.5/100

Overall score

University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Best public-university MS in HIM

MS Lowell, MA Online CAHIIM Initial Next Review 2030-2031

Why it ranks #2

University of Massachusetts Lowell MS in HIM. Director Dr. Abel Gyan holds DHSc + MBA + MS + RHIA + CPHI (Interim Program Director). Initial CAHIIM, next review 2030-2031. Fully online. Public R2 university in the UMass system, just outside the Boston metro with direct reach into Boston-area academic medical centers.

Program Director

Abel Gyan , DHSc, MBA, MS, RHIA, CPHI, Interim Program Director

Address

UMASS Lowell, South Campus, 61 Wilder Street, Suite 540, Lowell, MA, 01854

Contact

(513) 324-2477
abel_gyan@uml.edu

Score breakdown

Accreditation (25%)6/10
Director credentials (15%)10/10
Pathways (15%)6/10
Delivery (15%)10/10
Employer pipeline (15%)9/10
Cost (10%)7/10
Reputation (5%)8/10
Overall78.5/100

Visit program at uml.edu → · CAHIIM directory listing

#3
75.5/100

Overall score

Fisher College

Best Boston AAS (Mass General Brigham / Beth Israel Lahey pipeline)

AAS Boston, MA Online CAHIIM Continuing Next Review 2028-2029

Why it ranks #3

Fisher College in downtown Boston (Beacon Street). Director Diana Skarbek holds MHA + RHIA + CCS. Continuing CAHIIM, next review 2028-2029. Fully online. Sits in the densest US academic medical center cluster: Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Boston Children's, Dana-Farber, Tufts Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance. Private tuition is the trade-off.

Program Director

Diana Skarbek , MHA, RHIA, CCS

Address

118 Beacon Street, Boston, MA, 02116

Contact

(617) 512-0590
dskarbek@fisher.edu

Score breakdown

Accreditation (25%)8/10
Director credentials (15%)8/10
Pathways (15%)4/10
Delivery (15%)10/10
Employer pipeline (15%)10/10
Cost (10%)5/10
Reputation (5%)5/10
Overall75.5/100

Visit program at fisher.edu → · CAHIIM directory listing

#4
71.5/100

Overall score

Boston University

Best top-reputation MS in Health Informatics (R1 research university)

MS Health Informatics Boston, MA Campus Based, Online CAHIIM Initial Next Review 2027-2028

Why it ranks #4

Boston University MS in Health Informatics, housed in the Computer Science Department of BU's Metropolitan College. Director Dr. Lou Chitkushev holds a PhD. Initial CAHIIM, next review 2027-2028. Hybrid delivery. BU is a top-50 R1 research university directly inside the Boston academic medical center ecosystem. Above-market private tuition is the trade-off compared to the public UMass Lowell MS option.

Program Director

Lou Chitkushev , PhD

Address

Computer Science Department, MET, 1010 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 323, c/o Professor Guanglan Zhang, Boston, MA, 02215

Contact

(617) 353-6771
ltc@bu.edu

Score breakdown

Accreditation (25%)6/10
Director credentials (15%)8/10
Pathways (15%)6/10
Delivery (15%)8/10
Employer pipeline (15%)10/10
Cost (10%)4/10
Reputation (5%)9/10
Overall71.5/100

Visit program at bu.edu → · CAHIIM directory listing

Best for…

Best Massachusetts HIM programs by category.

Best Western MA AAS (Baystate pipeline)

Springfield Technical Community College

Longest CAHIIM review cycle in MA (2033-2034). Feeds Baystate Health.

Best public-university MS in HIM

University of Massachusetts Lowell

UMass system. Director Dr. Abel Gyan (DHSc + RHIA + CPHI). Fully online.

Best Boston AAS

Fisher College

Downtown Boston. Direct Mass General Brigham + Beth Israel Lahey adjacency.

Best top-reputation MS in Health Informatics

Boston University

R1 private research university. Highest institutional reputation in MA. Tuition is the trade-off.

Cheapest CAHIIM-accredited HIM program in MA

Springfield Technical Community College

Public community college tuition. Qualifies for the MA Promise (MASSGrant Plus) and Pell.

Best Mass General Brigham employer pipeline

Fisher College + UMass Lowell MS

Fisher AAS into Mass General Brigham entry-level HIM, then UMass Lowell MS HIM for the RHIA + informatics ladder.

Where's the BSHIM?

Out-of-state online BSHIM

Massachusetts does not currently have a CAHIIM-accredited BSHIM. Students typically pursue out-of-state online BSHIMs (Coppin State MD, UMGC MD, Davenport MI, ECU NC, etc.) before continuing to one of the in-state MS options.

Best academic medical research MS

Boston University

Direct access to BU School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center for research-oriented informatics careers.

Credentials

HIM credentials and certifications in Massachusetts (RHIA, RHIT, CCS).

Massachusetts does not license HIM staff. The Massachusetts Health Information Management Association (MaHIMA) is the state AHIMA component.

CredentialFull NameEducation RequiredTypical MA Role
RHITRegistered Health Information TechnicianCAHIIM AASRecords, ROI, coder at MGB / Beth Israel Lahey / Boston Children's / Dana-Farber / Tufts
RHIARegistered Health Information AdministratorCAHIIM BSHIM (out of state for MA)HIM supervisor, privacy officer, compliance
CCSCertified Coding SpecialistRHIT/RHIA + coding experienceInpatient/outpatient coder, coding auditor

Salary data

Medical records specialist salary in Massachusetts.

BLS OEWS May 2025 MA estimates for SOC 29-2072:

  • Median: $60,350 (national: $51,140)
  • Mean: $61,560
  • 10th pct: $43,960 · 90th pct: $81,620
  • Statewide employment: 3,500

Boston metro (MGB, Beth Israel Lahey, Boston Children's, Dana-Farber, Tufts Medicine, BIDMC) anchors the upper end. Worcester (UMass Memorial), Springfield (Baystate), and Cambridge (Cambridge Health Alliance, MIT-area research) pay close to the MA median. Massachusetts pay well above the national median due to dense academic medical center cluster and high-COL Northeast wage structure.

Salary distribution

Medical records specialist salary in Massachusetts vs. national median (BLS OEWS May 2025).

$30K$40K$50K$60K$70K$80K$90K Massachusetts MED $60K National MED $51K

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Workforce

Massachusetts health information management job market and top hospital employers.

Mass General Brigham. Boston HQ (formerly Partners HealthCare). The largest MA system, includes Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, McLean Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation, and Newton-Wellesley.

Beth Israel Lahey Health. Cambridge-based, post-2019 merger. Includes BIDMC, Lahey Hospital, Anna Jaques, Mount Auburn, New England Baptist.

Boston Children's Hospital. One of the top-ranked pediatric hospitals in the world.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Boston. One of the top cancer research and treatment centers in the world.

Tufts Medicine. Boston. Includes Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Medicine Care at Home.

Baystate Health. Springfield. Dominant Western MA system.

UMass Memorial Health. Worcester. Central MA academic medical center, affiliated with UMass Chan Medical School.

Cambridge Health Alliance. Cambridge / Somerville public safety-net system.

Health information exchange

Mass HIway.

Mass HIway is Massachusetts's state-operated HIE, launched in 2012 and run by the Massachusetts eHealth Institute under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). Mass HIway connects participating MA providers with clinical messaging and query-based exchange. Participation is required for some specific MA quality reporting and HIE-payment-incentive programs.

State regulation

Massachusetts state laws affecting health information management.

  • Medical record retention (105 CMR 130.370). Massachusetts hospitals must retain medical records for 20 years for adult records and 30 years for minor records, one of the longest retention regimes in the United States.
  • Patient access (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 111 § 70). MA law grants patients access to medical records with statutory copy-fee caps.
  • Massachusetts Data Breach Notification Law (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93H). Breach notification as soon as practicable and without unreasonable delay; one of the more stringent state laws.

Sources

Sources and references.

  1. healthinformationmanagementprograms.com Methodology.
  2. CAHIIM Program Directory.
  3. BLS OEWS: May 2025 MA estimates.
  4. AHIMA Certification Exams.
  5. Mass HIway.
  6. MA Office of Student Financial Assistance: MASSGrant Plus, MA Promise.
  7. Massachusetts Legislature: 105 CMR 130.370, MGL c.111 § 70, MGL c.93H.
  8. MaHIMA.

FAQ

HIM programs in Massachusetts: frequently asked questions.

What is the best CAHIIM-accredited HIM program in Massachusetts?

On our methodology, Springfield Technical Community College ranks #1 (80/100). University of Massachusetts - Lowell #2. Fisher College #3.

How many CAHIIM-accredited HIM programs are in MA?

4 active. 2 associate and 2 master's. No CAHIIM-accredited BSHIM in MA.

What is the average HIM salary in MA?

Median $60,350 per BLS OEWS May 2025. 90th pct $81,620.

Does MA require a license to work in HIM?

No. AHIMA credentials (RHIT, RHIA, CCS) are the standard.

Which Massachusetts hospitals hire the most HIM staff?

Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Boston Children's, Dana-Farber, Tufts Medicine, Baystate Health, UMass Memorial Health, Cambridge Health Alliance.

What is Mass HIway?

Massachusetts's state-operated HIE, run by the Massachusetts eHealth Institute under EOHHS since 2012.

Can I get a HIM degree fully online in MA?

Yes for Fisher College AAS and UMass Lowell MS. Springfield Tech CC and Boston University MS are hybrid.