Clinical Informatics is the physician subspecialty that applies data, information systems, and digital tools to make care safer and more effective. Board certification is administered by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) and, for pathologists, the American Board of Pathology (ABPath). Both boards use the same exam.

The biggest change for new candidates: the practice pathway has closed. From the 2026 application cycle on, the only route to initial certification through ABPM is an ACGME-accredited fellowship.

Updated October 2026 against ABPM's official pages.

Who is eligible

You need both of the following:

  1. Current primary board certification from an ABMS member board, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).
  2. Completion of an ACGME-accredited Clinical Informatics fellowship of at least 24 months. If your program is longer, you must complete all of its accredited years.

You also need a valid, unrestricted medical license. If you finished fellowship more than 24 months before applying, ABPM asks for a reference letter. Sources: ABPM Clinical Informatics and ABPM support.

What happened to the practice pathway

For years, experienced physicians could qualify through a practice pathway based on informatics work rather than fellowship training. ABPM has ended it. In ABPM's words: "After the 2025 application cycle concludes, the only way to become eligible to sit for the initial certification exam in Clinical Informatics will be via the ACGME-accredited fellowship pathway."

What that means in practice:

  • No new practice pathway applications are accepted from the 2026 cycle on.
  • Candidates approved in 2025 have a three-year window, 2025, 2026, and 2027, to take and pass the exam.
  • If you are in that window, plan carefully. A candidate who has not passed by the end of the 2027 exam loses practice pathway eligibility.

If you work in informatics without a fellowship and missed the window, your options are an ACGME fellowship, or a non-physician-board credential such as AMIA's AHIC. See our comparison of clinical informatics certifications for non-physicians, which also covers AHIC for physicians.

Pathologists: different deadlines

Pathologists apply through ABPath, not ABPM, and ABPath's dates differ. ABPath says its practice pathway "is in effect until 2025" with applications accepted until May 15, 2026, and a non-accredited fellowship pathway for training started before the end of 2025, with applications accepted until May 15, 2028 (ABPath).

The exam

  • Format: 200 multiple-choice questions in four one-hour blocks of 50. Total appointment time is 4 hours 30 minutes, including a 15-minute tutorial and a 15-minute break (ABPM exam format).
  • Where: Pearson VUE test centers.
  • When: once a year in October. The 2026 window was October 12 to November 1. The 2027 window is October 11 to 31.
  • Pass rate: 73% in 2025 and 75% in 2024. See pass rates for every year since 2017.

What the exam tests

Since 2021 the exam has followed a content outline with five domains (ABPM content outline):

  • Fundamental Knowledge and Skills (20%): informatics theory, statistics, standards and terminologies (HL7, FHIR, DICOM, LOINC, SNOMED CT, RxNorm), security, privacy, law, and the health system.
  • Improving Care Delivery and Outcomes (30%): clinical decision support, workflow and usability, quality measurement, predictive analytics, and care models.
  • Enterprise Information Systems (15%): system selection and implementation, architecture, interoperability and health information exchange, security, and downtime.
  • Data Governance and Data Analytics (15%): data stewardship, data warehousing and ETL, analytics, machine learning and AI.
  • Leadership and Professionalism (20%): strategy, finance, communication, negotiation, change management, project management, and teaching.

Older study materials describe a retired four-domain outline. Our domain-by-domain outline guide covers the current one in detail.

How to apply

  1. Confirm eligibility on the ABPM Clinical Informatics page.
  2. Apply in the regular window. For 2027, applications open March 10 and close June 30, with a late window July 1 to 15 at a higher fee.
  3. Register for the exam once approved. The 2027 registration deadline is September 10.
  4. Schedule your Pearson VUE appointment for the October window.

Fees for 2027 are a $500 application fee and a $2,150 exam fee, with a $1,000 late application fee (ABPM dates and fees). Our cost and dates guide covers the full budget, including continuing certification.

After you pass

Diplomates keep their certificate through ABPM's Continuing Certification Program, built around a yearly set of open-resource questions. See how the Longitudinal Assessment Program works.

Prepare with CliniQuiz

CliniQuiz has a large ABPM Clinical Informatics question bank organized by the five exam domains, with scenario-based questions, an explanation for every option, and an AI tutor. In October 2026 every question was reviewed against board item-writing standards.

Try five questions free, no account needed, then follow our Clinical Informatics study plan.