California Health Information Association

The California Health Information Association (CHIA) is a non-profit professional association for health information management (HIM) professionals. CHIA was founded in 1949 and is the California-based component state affiliate of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

The purpose of CHIA to ensure quality comprehensive health information services for the welfare of the public in the State of California; provide leadership for the profession of health information management; promote and advance the profession of health information management and represent the interests of the members of the profession; contribute to the development of the highest possible levels of professionalism and performance by providing members with information, resources and leadership; contribute to the delivery of quality patient care and the protection of patients’ rights with respect to health information confidentiality.

CHIA is composed of the parent state association and seven component local associations serving various regions within California.

Members of CHIA are HIM professionals, and those who have an interest in HIM issues, who are also members of the American Health Information Association and who have selected California as their component state association (CSA).

The HIM profession encompasses about 125 different job titles under the health information management professional umbrella and is practiced in at least 40 different work settings including hospitals, insurance companies, physician offices, clinics, government agencies, research centers, and many other venues.

HIM career credentials are offered through the AHIMA and include:
RHIA – Registered Health Information Administrator
RHIT – Registered Health Information Technician
CHDA – Certified Health Data Analyst
CCS – Certified Coding Specialist
CCS-P – Certified Coding Specialist – Physician-based
CHPS – Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security
CCA – Certified Coding Associate