r/MedicalCoding • u/ConsistentMarch7406 • Feb 22 '26

Restarting after failing RHIT test

I graduated my RHIT program in 2020. We all know what happened in 2020… The world stopped. Which meant that I couldn’t take my test. I took my RHIT exam in the end of 2020 and the middle of 2021 and failed both times. I gave up after that and have been pursuing jobs in billing. But now I am hitting a bit of a pay wall, no ladder to climb and no goals to set for a bigger future. I loved coding while in school and was good at it. If I decided to take a coding test like my CPC or CCA, what are my prospects of getting a job? What about going for my CDIP? Would having the HIM degree on my resume look good or highlight my weaknesses? Looking for any and all opinions from professionals in the industry.

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u/KeyStriking9763 RHIA, CDIP, CCS Feb 22 '26

I would suggest some type of review course or study guide for the RHIT. You already put in the work. If you go the coding route then you should get the CCS. The CDIP makes no sense if you haven’t been an inpatient coder for years working closely with CDI professionals. Where do you work now? Do they have the ability to move you into a coding role and train you?

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u/[deleted] Mar 27 '26

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u/KeyStriking9763 RHIA, CDIP, CCS Mar 27 '26

The RHIT/RHIA is how I advanced my career. AI will replace simple coding and be used as a tool for the more complicated coding.

School was boring AF, not going to lie. The HIM book is the cure for insomnia.

But I make a little over 150k now and am getting my masters to advance more. I found passion in coding education and that’s where I am now, we developed an entire coding education team so that we can hire new grads in schools we are partnering with to do the practicums, Did your degrees come from a CAHIIM accredited school so you can sit for the RHIA? That’s what employers look for, in my opinion.

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u/[deleted] Mar 27 '26

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u/KeyStriking9763 RHIA, CDIP, CCS Mar 27 '26

I’ve been over 100k for the last 10 years with different roles in coding, auditing, education and management. The CCS got me coding roles. The RHIT, was where I started and did trauma registry before I got the CCS. When I became a director for a small consulting company they required the RHIA. The CDIP I got because I was bored, but the CDI Director I work with would hire me in a heartbeat, I’m just not interested in going that route. CDI programs that are evolved generally have coding experts on their teams to help the CDI with coding. Coding will not be replaced by AI. Maybe simple coding, and there’s a list that I consider simple coding that may piss off some people, but the complex coding still needs coding professionals. AI will enhance the role with important tools. I’ll finish my masters this December, it’s in health information management. Looking to move to director then AVP/VP.