Examination Regulations
Effective for May 2026 Examination
Examination Regulations
- The Examining and Awarding Body is the Institute of Health Records and Information Management and the Examination is open to Overseas candidates.
- Only candidates who have been officially accepted by the Institute for Student Membership and who meet all the regulations will be allowed to attempt the Examination. Examination candidates must be fully paid-up members of the Institute.
- Application forms for student membership may be obtained from the IHRIM Office. Candidates would normally be expected to hold the Overseas Foundation Certificate but exemptions will be granted by the Director of Education under certain circumstances, in consultation with a second member of the Examination Board.
- The Examination will normally be held on the third Monday and Tuesday of May each year.
- The Examination will be held electronically and candidates will sit in their own organisation/place of work throughout the UK and Overseas.
- The Examination will consist of four [4] papers
Health Records Management 2 ½ hours
Healthcare Statistics 1 ½ hours
Medical Terminology 1 ½ hours
Establishing & Managing a HIM Department/Service 1½ hours
7. The pass mark for the papers is shown below but all modules must be passed at the first attempt in order to achieve a distinction for which the total pass mark is 80% of the overall total.
Health Records Management 60%
Healthcare Statistics 50%
Medical Terminology 50%
Establishing & Managing a HIM Department/Service 50%
8. Candidates applying to take the Examination MUST lodge with the IHRIM Office a completed Examination Registration Form, together with a cheque made payable to IHRIM (UK) for the appropriate amount.
NB: Late registrations will not be accepted and any completed registration forms received without a cheque will be returned.
9. Any candidate whose registration form is not acknowledged within two working weeks of posting should advise the IHRIM Office immediately.
10. If a candidate withdraws his/her name before the last day of entry to the Examination the fee will either be returned or carried forward for one year, however an administration charge of £25.00 +VAT will apply. If a candidate cancels/defers after the closing date, a £50.00 +VAT administration fee will apply. If a candidate fails to attend on the day of the Examination the fee will be carried forward for one year providing a medical certificate is submitted to the Associate Director of Education [Administration] within seven days of the date of the Examination. Otherwise, fees are non-returnable unless exceptional circumstances exist and then only at the discretion of the Director of Education. The candidate will be responsible for any increase in fees which may occur between the initial payment and the date the Examination is taken.
11. Any amendments to the syllabus will be published 12 months before the Examination date.
12. The Examination paper will only be set on the current syllabus bearing the same date as these regulations.
13. Any representation that a candidate may wish to make regarding the conduct of the Examination must be made in writing to the Associate Director of Education [Administration] within seven days of the conclusion of the Examination, using the Complaints Procedure which is available on the IHRIM Web Site.
14. Candidates can expect to receive their results as a percentage mark. The Newsletter will only show a pass notification.
15. Candidates will be notified of the results of the Examination at the end of July of the year in which the Examination was taken. The names of successful candidates will be published in the Newsletter of the Institute.
16. The Examination Appeals Procedure is available from the IHRIM Office.
17. Candidates who fail to reach the pass standard in this paper may re-sit the paper on any two [2] subsequent occasions but within three years of the first attempt on payment of the appropriate fee and according to the syllabus which is in place at the time of the Examination.
18. Successful candidates who pass the Examination will be awarded the appropriate Certificate and adopt the title ‘Certificated Member’ and may use the designatory letters O/CHRIM.
Examination Framework and Timetable
DAY 1
Health Records Management 3 hours - Question 1 and four others
[FIVE questions in total]
0930 – 0935 Reading time
0935 – 1205 Written Examination
Healthcare Statistics 1½ hours – Question 1 and two others
1330 – 1335 Reading time
1335 – 1505 Written Examination
DAY 2
Medical Terminology 1 ½ hours - Question 1 and two others
[THREE questions in total]
0915 – 0920 Reading time
0920 – 1050 Written Examination
Establishing & Managing a HIM Department/Service 1½ hours – Question 1 and two others
1115 – 1120 Reading time
1120 – 1250 Written Examination
SYLLABUS - OVERSEAS CERTIFICATE
Study Materials for Papers 1-3 - IFHIMA Education Modules – Available for download free of charge from www.ifhIMA.org/learning.aspx
Study Materials for Paper 4 – IFHIMA Study Notes (Medical Terminology £15 + postage and packaging)
Available from IHRIM
Source of study material (i.e. the number of the IFHRO Education Module) is shown in brackets)
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1. HEALTH RECORDS MANAGEMENT (PAPER 1)
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The Health Record - from Paper to Electronic – IFHIMA Education Module 1
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i. The Health Record ii. Purpose of a Health Record iii. Uses of a Health Record iv. Development of the Health Record v. Value of the Health Record vi. Content of the Health Record vii. Documentation and Record Structure viii. Responsibility for Health Records ix. Health Record Forms x. Medico-Legal Aspects |
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Patient Identification, Registration and Master Patient (Personal) Index – IFHIMA Education Module 2
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i. MPI Purpose ii. MPI Methods & Design iii. Identifiers take many forms iv. National/Unique Healthcare Identifier, the process implications v. Registration Process and MPIs vi. MPI Data Elements/Attributes vii. Visit/Encounter Element viii. Developing Nation’s perspective ix. Future MPI Options |
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Filing, Tracking and Retention of Heath Records – IFHIMA Education Module 4
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A Record Identification Systems
Types of Numbers Assignment of Numbers Number Control Record linkage or longitudinal records
B Filing Systems
Location of files
Other considerations in filing systems
C Record Control & Chart Tracking
D Filing Equipment and Supplies for Paper-Based Records
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Privacy and Security of Heath Information – IFHIMA Education Module 5
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A Key Definitions
B What Constitutes Confidential Information?
C Rights to Access of the Health Record, and Patient Consent
D Privacy Principles 1 Accountability 2 Identifying Purposes 3 Consent 4 Limiting Collection 5 Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention 6 Accuracy 7 Safeguards 8 Openness 9 Access 10 Challenging Compliance
E Security of Patient Information
F Privacy Breaches
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2. HEALTHCARE STATISTICS (PAPER 2) – IFHIMA Education Module 8
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i. Data Definitions ii. Inpatient Statistical Data Collection And Calculations iii. Outpatient Statistical Data Collection And Calculations iv. Reports v. Quality Control |
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3. ESTABLISHING & MANAGING A HIM DEPARTMENT/SERVICE (PAPER 3)
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IFHIMA Education Module 3
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A Establishing an HIM Department and Service
B Organising
C Leadership
D Controlling
E Problem Solving
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Administration and Management of the Health Record Department – IFHIMA Education Module 7 |
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i. The Management Process · Planning · Organising · Directing · Control · Problem Solving ii. Formalising the Organisational Structure iii. Organisational Change and Development iv. Developing Human Resources |
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4. MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY (PAPER 4) (IHRIM Study Notes on Medical Terminology)
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i. Demonstrate an understanding of the component parts of medical terms and be able to give meaning to these by constructing or explaining medical terms: knowledge of roots, suffixes, prefixes and combining vowels, plurals of terms ii. Have a basic understanding of the meaning and purpose of pathological and radiological tests and other diagnostic tests, procedures e.g. bronchoscopy, endoscopy, MRI Scan, Heaf Test, ESR. |
This information is posted as a guide for students undertaking the IHRIM Overseas Certificate on the IFHIMA website in the Learning Center at: http://www.ifhima.org/learning.aspx