About E-Certification

Electronic certification allows an authorized person to send forms electronically by using a pre-determined substitute for the person's actual handwritten signature. In this case, the HCP number and password will act as the person's signature, once E-certification has been enabled. After enabling the electronic certification, the applicant can login with the HCP number and password. When filling out an electronically certified form online, the person’s signature is automatically accepted, and the form is immediately sent to RHCD. In the case of FCC Form 465, the form is posted on the RHCD website instantly. E-certification conveniently eliminates the steps of printing, signing and mailing and speeds up the application process by beginning the 28-day competitive bidding period immediately, by eliminating the mail delay for Form 465 to reach RHCD's processing center.

E-certification is enabled through the E-Certification section of the RHCD website. After logging in, go to this section and click on Enable E-certification. You will be asked a series of questions to verify your authority to sign for the HCP, and for security purposes will then be required to change your login password.

Qualifications to E-Certify

To qualify for E-certification, your HCP must have successfully posted a Form 465. Filing a Form 465 through E-certification also assumes that the basic information for the health care provider has not changed, such as HCP type, physical address, or phone number. If you wish to change this information, please mail a paper Form 465 to RHCD. Changing this information may affect the MAD and other factors associated with calculating funding, and would require reprocessing by RHCD.

E-certification Passwords

When you enable E-certification, you will be asked to change your password. This password, in conjunction with the HCP number, will serve as your login password as well as represent your legal signature on the RHCD forms. Because of this, it is imperative that your new password be kept private.

If you wish to change your password, you must first disable E-certification through the RHCD website and then re-enable it. This is to ensure that the person changing the password is authorized to do so.

If you have questions or any difficulty with this process, contact the Customer Service Support Center at 1-800-229-5476. If you believe that your password has been used fraudulently, contact Customer Service immediately to notify them of the situation and change your password.

Enabled E-certification

After your electronic certification is enabled, you will have the option of filling out Forms 465, 466, 466-A, or 467 online and submitting them directly to RHCD using your electronic certification as your signature.

• If you have enabled electronic certification and submit a Form 465 that meets RHCD requirements, your form will be immediately posted to the RHCD website to begin the 28-day competitive bidding period. Youwill receive an e-mail confirming your Form 465 posting and reminding you of your eligible support start date, the 29th day after posting.
• In the case of Forms 466 and 466-A, you will receive an e-mail that confirms the receipt of your form. Please remember to send your required additional documentation to RHCD, including copies of bids received, contracts, or bills.

Important: When the authorized holder of the password will no longer be submitting forms on behalf of a rural HCP, that password must be disabled to avoid fraudulent use. To enable a new password after deactivation, the new representative of the HCP must go through the password-enabling process as if he or she was enabling electronic certification for the first time. For more information about E-certification, please see the E-certification section of the frequently asked questions.