Healthcare Information and Systems Management: what the CPHIMS exam asks

The largest domain: the whole life of a system, from the first analysis to testing, security and maintenance.

What is asked about analysis?

• The systems development life cycle (SDLC) and where each activity belongs in it.
• Needs analysis, gap analysis, and defining and prioritizing requirements.
• Process improvement methods such as DMAIC and PDCA, and tools such as process maps and flow diagrams.
• Judging whether a proposed solution fits the organization's strategic and operational plans.
• Cost-benefit analysis, and proposals that say how the benefits will be realized.
• Reading business documents: RFP, RFI, SLA, SOW, NDA.

What is asked about design?

• Interoperability between software, hardware, networks and medical devices.
• Compliance with industry, regulatory and organizational standards.
• An infrastructure that supports today's needs and tomorrow's: business continuity and disaster recovery.
• Evaluating existing and emerging technologies against the organization's growth.
• Data management under an established data governance.

What is asked about selection, implementation, support and maintenance?

• Selecting a solution: identifying stakeholders, demonstrations, site visits, reference checks.
• Technical change management.
• Training and support methods: computer-based learning, classroom training, train the trainer, at-the-elbow support from superusers.
• Implementing while managing scope, schedule, budget and quality.
• Operating and upgrading systems, and reading error reports, help desk logs, surveys and performance figures for problems and trends.

What is asked about testing and evaluation?

• A formal testing method and its levels: unit, integrated, stress and acceptance tests.
• Controls that protect availability, confidentiality and integrity during testing: security audits, version control, change control.
• Checking what was delivered against the contract and the design.
• Showing that the expected benefits arrived: return on investment, benchmarks, user satisfaction.

What is asked about privacy and security?

• Policies and procedures for confidentiality, privacy, security, availability and integrity of data.
• Assessing and reducing vulnerabilities.
• User access controls.
• Physical, technical and administrative safeguards.
• Who in the organization is responsible for which risk.
• Data controls: ownership, criticality, retention and destruction.
• Checking the security of existing systems continuously, not once.

How should I study it?

• Follow one system through its whole life, from the need to retirement, and place every term you learn on that line.
• Learn the order. Many questions ask what comes FIRST or NEXT, and the answer is the earlier step that the tempting option skipped.
• Know each test level by who runs it and what it proves.
• Know each business document by who writes it, who receives it and when.
• For a security question, name the kind of safeguard first (physical, technical or administrative), then choose.

How this site files its questions under this domain

• Analysis
• Design
• Selection, Implementation, Support and Maintenance
• Testing and Evaluation
• Privacy and Security

The content areas follow the outline of exam topics in the HIMSS CPHIMS Candidate Handbook (May 2024 edition), described in our own words.

Questions about the exam: CPHIMS guide · Exam cost · Eligibility · Passing score · Renewal · Exam day · How long to study · Is it worth it?

The four domains: Healthcare and Technology Environments · Clinical Informatics · Management and Leadership

Facts checked against the HIMSS candidate handbook and the HIMSS site on 9 October 2026; HIMSS may change them, so confirm on its site before you apply or pay. An independent site, not affiliated with or endorsed by HIMSS. CPHIMS® is a registered trademark of HIMSS.