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Authorization for Digital Signatures on Hospice Forms 3071, Individual Election, Cancellation or Update and 3074, Physician Certification Terminal Illness

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Pursuant to 1 TAC, Ch. 203, RULE §203.23: Digital Signatures, HHSC has approved the process for accepting digital signatures on hospice forms 3071 and 3074.

A digital signature will be accepted by HHSC if the signature is derived using software that creates a digital signature logo with a system-generated date and timestamp or includes the logo of the digital software used.

Pursuant to 1 TAC, Part 1, Ch. 203, Rule §203.24: Acceptable Digital Signature Technology, this is the list of acceptable technologies for a digital signature:

  • A public key-based digital signature must be unique to the person using it.
  • A public-key based digital signature must be capable of independent verification.
  • The private key of public-key based digital signature must remain under the sole control of the person using it, or in the case of a role-based key, that person and an escrow agent acceptable to that person and the state agency.
  • The digital signature must be linked to the message of the document in such a way that it would be computationally infeasible to change the data in the message or the digital signature without invalidating the digital signature.

A digital signature will not be accepted by HHSC if the digital signature provided is any of the following, including, but not limited to:

  • A photocopy of a handwritten signature
  • An ink stamp of a handwritten signature
  • A typed signature without a digital stamp

Email questions to HospicePolicy@hhs.texas.gov