Getting Started with AHIMA VLab™

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Once you’re ready to start your learning journey with AHIMA VLab, the following information will help you navigate the resources and information available to make the most of your experience.

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System Requirements

AHIMA VLab staff provides system maintenance for the applications and is available for assistance with AHIMA VLab setup, review of user materials (especially helpful for online programs) and general user support. The AHIMA VLab is completely internet-based, requiring minimal set-up on the user’s PC, or in your school PC lab.

Use the following AHIMA VLab system requirements for individual user PCs (subject to change). Applications are hosted and maintained by the AHIMA VLab and our application partners.

Depending on the application, Windows 7, 8, 10 & 11 are supported, as well as Mac OS, but each AHIMA VLab application has different compatibility requirements (specific system information is provided to all users within the course, and is available upon request).
Internet access required is: Broadband High-Speed, Cable, or DSL.
Depending on the application, Internet Explorer 9 and above, Firefox and Google Chrome are supported.
Again, each program has different requirements. Some are browser- and OS-agnostic while others may only work with a specific browser or OS; this information is provided to all users.
AHIMA websites requiring login, including the AHIMA Learning Center where the AHIMA VLab course is hosted, no longer support Internet Explorer. In some cases you may need to access the AHIMA VLab course through one browser, and an application that requires Internet Explorer in that browser.
Additional requirements for individual applications and instructions for changing computer settings or installing software are provided in the lessons, the FAQs and by request.

Hardware

1Ghz Intel or AMD processor (minimum)
2GB of RAM (minimum)
In most cases the AHIMA VLab course and applications are best viewed at a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768. Otherwise you may experience clipping or pixelated content.

Additional Help

If your academic program plans to use transcription, dictation, natural language processing, and electronic signature applications, additional requirements are needed:

A built-in soundcard and a method of hearing the audio (Headphone jack and/or USB port for speakers and/or headphones). Most modern computers come with built-in soundcards installed.
Additional software installation (CD or Internet download) onto each student computer for client-server transcriptionist, transcription administrator, and speech recognition applications. You need 350 MB of available disk space for the installation.
Additional applet installation (during initial login and/or system updates) for browser-based dictation, electronic signature, and natural language processing applications.

AHIMA VLab Support

For answers to commonly asked questions, watch our VLab Training video.

If you require additional help, support is available Monday to Friday from 7am to 7pm Central Standard time (excluding observed federal holidays).

To contact VLab Support, please email academyhelp@ahima.org or call (844) 309-3269.

Downtime recovery varies by application and the nature of problem. Most downtime occurs during scheduled maintenance. Users and administrators are notified in advance. Scheduled maintenance typically lasts several minutes but can last up to a several hours. Emergency maintenance issues occur very rarely, and in extreme cases requires one or more business days to restore service.