Recertification
Certification demonstrates your commitment to superior professionalism, upholding industry standards, and continued learning. These merits can help boost your professional credibility and prestige within your own network, with your employer/clients, and when pursuing new business opportunities or bidding on projects. Without a process for renewal of certification, a credential’s value may diminish over time. Recertification requirements serve to measure and reassure employers/clients and the public of continued professional competence in the documentation of patient health care.
See below for recertification information for each credential type. NOTE: If you hold multiple AHDI credentials, please refer to the CEC Summary Table for Multiple Credentials for the total number of CECs needed and in which categories.
Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) – Level 1
The RHDS credential is valid for 3 years and expires on the last day of the month in which the credential was obtained. RHDSs must earn 20 CECs and pay a recredentialing fee prior to the expiration date of their credential in order to recertify. All RHDSs are responsible for knowing when their cycle ends. The date of credentialing is denoted on the RHDS certificate. See the RHDS Recredentialing page for full details and downloads.
Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist (CHDS) – Level 2
The CHDS credential is valid for 3 years and expires on the last day of the month in which the credential was obtained. CHDSs must earn 30 CECs and pay a recredentialing fee prior to the expiration date of their credential in order to recertify. All CHDSs are responsible for knowing when their cycle ends. The date of credentialing is denoted on the CHDS certificate. See the CHDS Recredentialing page for full details and downloads.
Certified Healthcare Documentation Professional (CHDP)
The CHDP and the respective microcredentials for auditors and scribes are valid for 3 years and expire on the last day of the month in which the credential was obtained. CHDPs must earn 30 CECs (CHDP-As and CHDP-Ss must earn 35 CECs) and pay a recredentialing fee prior to the expiration date of their credential in order to recertify. All CHDPs and micro-credential holders are responsible for knowing when their cycle ends. The date of credentialing is denoted on the respective CHDP certificate. See the CHDP Recredentialing page for full details and downloads.
The CVHDP is geared toward anyone who participates in documenting veterinary patients’ health care. This includes but is not limited to:
- Recent graduates of veterinary healthcare documentation/medical veterinary education programs.
- Veterinary technicians or others who document patient records in an electronic medical record.
- Scribes.
