# AHIMA Membership



## cordelia (Oct 21, 2011)

I am planning to sit for the CCS sometime next year. I am trying to decide if it is worth it to become a member of AHIMA, or if I should just purchase the test. 

The only real benefit that I was interested in was AHIMA's forum, but I have heard that not a lot of people post or interact on there.

Anyone who has their CCS or is an AHIMA member, can you weigh in both pros or cons of joining?


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## aimie (Oct 21, 2011)

*Ahmia*

It gives you cheaper books and regional chapter that offers review classes. I am sitting for my CCS exam soon


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## rpcarrillo (Oct 27, 2011)

I passed my CCS a couple of years ago, but haven't become a member. There are definitely advantages to becoming a member, but they haven't yet appealed to me enough to spend the money on membership.

I would like to join my local chapter of AHIMA and network with local people at meetings, but in order to do that you have to become a member of national AHIMA and then pay again to become a member of the local chapter. I think I figured it out a while back and came up with $400 a year all told for that privilege. While I can afford it, I can't really justify the cost to personal benefit ratio. If I didn't already have a job though, I would definitely join.

But at least compared to AAPC, AHIMA makes membership optional; you can still have a CCS certification and are not required to be a member. You don't have that same luxury with AAPC.


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## cordelia (Oct 27, 2011)

Thank you Rich, that is how I was leaning, but wanted to see if maybe there were some extra benefits I wasn't aware of.


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## tpontillo (Oct 28, 2011)

I am a member of Ahima.  I just paid the membership fee for Ahima and I was automatically a member of the local chapter.  I didnt have to pay extra to be a member of the local chapter.  The books are cheaper with membership, also if you get your CCS you will need to update your CEU's and if you do any of that through Ahima it is cheaper for the members.


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## dballard2004 (Oct 28, 2011)

I too am an AHIMA member and I never had to pay for membership in my state association.  Once you join AHIMA, you are automatically assigned to your state association.


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