Are electronic signatures legally valid?

Yes. Electronic signatures are legally binding under the federal ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. ch. 96) and UETA where adopted, provided the signature demonstrates intent, consent, attribution, and a reproducible record.

Do I need a Business Associate Agreement?

If the clinical site or institution handles protected health information, include a BAA to meet HIPAA obligations; this documents permitted uses and safeguards for PHI.

When is notarization required?

Notarization is rarely required for affiliation agreements, but some clinical sites or state rules may request notarized signatures; confirm site policy or state law before executing.

Who should sign on behalf of each party?

An authorized representative with signature authority signs (e.g., dean, chief medical officer, or delegated legal signatory); confirm authority in a corporate resolution if necessary.

How do I amend an existing agreement?

Document amendments in a written addendum signed by authorized representatives; avoid oral modifications and keep executed addenda together with the original agreement.

What records should be retained?

Keep the fully executed agreement, attachments, insurance certificates, and credentialing records for at least the active term plus related federal or industry retention periods such as 6 years for HIPAA.

Electronic Signature
Templates
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Clinical Affiliation Agreement

Clinical Affiliation Agreement

This template is fully customizable. Edit the text, fill out the fields, and send it for signature. Give it a try!

FACILITY USE AGREEMENT-SHOW OR CLINIC

WITNESS THIS AGREEMENT this day of by and between hereinafter referred to as "User." and hereinafter referred to as "Farm,"

WHEREAS, Farm is the Owner of a certain commercial stable located in , known as

AND, WHEREAS, User desires to conduct a horse show and/or clinic for the purpose of giving riding lessons and/or equine exhibitions open to the public,

IT IS NOW, THEREFORE, AGREED between Farm and User that User shall be entitled to the use of designated facilities at for the following dates: for the sum of $ . User shall be/ not be (circle one) entitled to use the coffee area of the office for purposes of a concession stand. However, it is understood and agreed that for all purposes, said concession stand and the food served therein or thereby are done independent of Farm and User shall hold Farm completely harmless from any and all claims, demands, obligations, injuries, and/or judgments from any and all causes arising from the operation of said concession stand. The area, times, and use of the concession stand shall be designated by Farm.

THE TOTAL DUE under this Agreement shall be $

IT IS UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED that User shall be construed and considered as an Independent Contractor for all purposes arising under this Agreement and the use of the facilities as above-described. User shall be responsible for the payment of any and all gross receipts taxes, income taxes, or other liabilities incurred as a result of User's activities on Farm's property. User further agrees to obtain executed Releases from any and all clients of User who may use, occupy or otherwise obtain services from User upon Farm's premises, a copy of which is to be provided by Farm.

Inherent Risks and Assumption of Risk.

The undersigned acknowledges there are inherent risks associated with equine activities such as described below, and hereby expressly assumes all risks associated with participating in such activities. The inherent risks include, but are not limited to the propensity of equines to behave in ways such as, running, bucking, biting, kicking, shying, stumbling, rearing, falling or stepping on, that may result in an injury, harm or death to persons on or around them; the unpredictability of equine's reaction to such things as sounds, sudden movement and unfamiliar objects, persons or other animals; certain hazards such as surface and subsurface conditions; collisions with other animals; the limited availability of emergency medical care; and the potential of a participant to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to injury to the participant or others, such as failing to maintain control over the animal or not acting within such participant's ability.

User expressly releases Farm from any and all claims for personal injury or property damage, even if caused by negligence (if allowed by the laws of this State) by Farm or its representatives, agents or employees.

WARNING

You are advised that there are inherent risks, including the risk of serious injury or death, while engaging in equine activities. By engaging in equine activities and in accordance with the terms of this agreement you hereby assume all risks of injury or death.

USER FURTHER AGREES TO HOLD FARM HARMLESS AND DEFEND IT FROM ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, DEMANDS, JUDGMENTS, ORDERS, OR LIABILITY WHATSOEVER ARISING AS A PROXIMATE RESULT OF ANY ACTIVITY OF USER, USERS AGENTS, EMPLOYEES AND REPRESENTATIVES ON PREMISES OF FARM.

Farm reserves the right to refuse access or use of any horse upon the premises that does not appear to Farm to be in good health, or is deemed dangerous or undesirable.

USER

Farm, or Farm's representative

By

What a Clinical Affiliation Agreement Is and who it covers

A Clinical Affiliation Agreement is a written contract between an educational program (such as a university or allied health school) and a clinical site (hospital, clinic, or other patient-care provider) that establishes terms for student placements, clinical training, supervision, and liability allocation. It sets responsibilities for scheduling, supervision, credentialing, HIPAA and FERPA compliance, insurance, indemnity, and reporting. The agreement typically defines the duration of placements, expectations for clinical preceptors, mechanisms for evaluating students, and procedures for addressing incidents or removal of a student from clinical duties.

Why institutions and clinical sites formalize training relationships

A Clinical Affiliation Agreement clarifies roles, protects patient privacy, and documents credentialing and insurance expectations for both parties. It reduces administrative ambiguity, supports accreditation requirements, and creates a record that regulators and institutional counsel can rely on.

Who typically signs and relies on a Clinical Affiliation Agreement

The agreement is used by education programs, clinical providers, and supervising clinicians to manage student clinical experiences.

Academic programs and departments that place students for clinical rotations.
Hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and community health centers hosting trainees.
Clinical coordinators, risk managers, and compliance officers who oversee placement logistics.

Each party uses the agreement to document operational, legal, and compliance expectations before students begin supervised patient care.

Core clauses you should expect in a professional Clinical Affiliation Agreement

A complete agreement addresses operational, legal, and educational elements so both parties know expectations and limits for clinical teaching and supervision.

Parties

Identifies the academic institution and clinical site by full legal name, addresses, and authorized representatives responsible for the affiliation and contract administration.

Scope of Training

Specifies the types of clinical experiences, student roles, rotation lengths, number of students, supervision requirements, and learning objectives tied to the educational program.

Credentialing

Outlines documentation the clinical site requires (licenses, immunizations, background checks, BLS/CPR), timing for submission, and consequences for missing credentials.

Privacy and Records

Requires compliance with HIPAA for patient information and FERPA for student records, including any necessary Business Associate Agreement or data handling addenda.

Insurance and Indemnity

Specifies required professional liability and general liability coverage limits, primary coverage allocation, and indemnification obligations for each party.

Termination and Dispute

Defines notice periods, grounds for suspension or termination of placements, dispute-resolution procedures, and record-retention requirements after termination.

How to complete a Clinical Affiliation Agreement — step by step

Follow this sequence to prepare, review, and finalize the affiliation agreement with minimum rework.

01

Gather documents: Assemble insurance certificates, credential files, and institutional authorizations.
02

Populate form: Enter legal names, effective dates, and contact information.
03

Internal review: Route to compliance, risk, and academic leadership for approval.
04

Execute signatures: Obtain authorized signatures and distribute fully executed copies.

Configuring an online workflow for digital completion

Set up routing and verification fields so approvals and records are handled consistently when using e-signature tools.

Field	Configuration
Signature order	Sequential routing: departmental approver first, then site signatory.
Authentication	Use email plus SMS code or institution SSO for stronger attribution.
Attachments required	Require insurance certificate and background-check upload before signing.
Audit capture	Enable timestamp, IP address, and document history recording.

Digital signing and sharing requirements for Clinical Affiliation Agreements

Ensure your e-signature platform supports secure authentication, HIPAA controls, and audit trails before e-execution.

Integrations: Salesforce, NetSuite, Google Workspace supported
File formats: PDF, DOCX, and HTML
Security: AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.2/1.3

Choose a solution that preserves a complete audit trail and supports required compliance addenda such as a BAA for HIPAA-covered entities.

Typical routing and submission flow for executed agreements

A clear routing sequence reduces turnaround time and helps credentialing teams track outstanding items.

Upload document: Sender uploads the final agreement to the signing platform.
Place fields: Add signer, date, and attachment requirements.
Invite signers: Send secure signing links or email invitations.
Distribute copies: Signed PDF and certificate sent to each party.

Typical timelines and internal deadlines for processing agreements

Timelines vary by institution. Use these common internal deadlines when planning new affiliations.

Document preparation deadline:

Allow 2–4 weeks to assemble credentials and legal review.

Institutional approval window:

Plan 1–3 weeks for department and risk management sign-off.

Clinical site turnaround:

Sites commonly require 1–2 weeks for administrative review.

Student onboarding cutoff:

Complete all submissions at least 2 weeks before rotation start.

Renewal notice period:

Provide 30–90 days’ notice before automatic renewal or expiration.

Key milestones from negotiation to active placement

Track these sequential milestones to monitor progress and identify bottlenecks.

01

Initial request

Program requests affiliation and shares template terms with the clinical site.

02

Negotiation and edits

Legal and risk teams reconcile institution and site requirements.

03

Execution

Authorized signatories sign and exchange final copies.

04

Onboarding

Students submit credentials and begin supervised clinical work.

Common mistakes to avoid when preparing an affiliation agreement

Using informal names for parties, which complicates insurance and legal reviews and delays execution.
Failing to attach required exhibits like insurance certificates or BAAs, causing last-minute site refusals.
Overlooking student privacy obligations under HIPAA and FERPA and not including required consent language.
Not confirming authorized signatory authority, which can require re-execution and create compliance gaps.

Key legal and operational risks associated with deficient agreements

HIPAA exposure: Civil penalties, OCR enforcement (45 CFR §160/164)

FERPA issues: Student record privacy violations and institution sanctions

Credentialing gaps: Site liability for unverified student qualifications

Insurance shortfall: Coverage disputes and uncovered claims

Accreditation risk: Failure to meet program accreditation standards

Operational disruption: Canceled placements and program scheduling impact

Representative eSignature vendor comparison for Clinical Affiliation Agreements

This comparison highlights common plan starting prices and basic feature availability across widely used e-signature providers; signNow is listed first per platform data.

	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc	HelloSign
Starting Price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Free Trial	7-day free trial	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan
Bulk Send	Yes (Premium)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audit Trail	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HIPAA Compliant	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Envelope Cap	No cap	100 envelopes/user/year	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan

Frequently asked questions about Clinical Affiliation Agreements

Answers to common execution, compliance, and retention questions for administrators, legal teams, and clinical partners.

Need help? Contact support

Are electronic signatures legally valid?
Yes. Electronic signatures are legally binding under the federal ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. ch. 96) and UETA where adopted, provided the signature demonstrates intent, consent, attribution, and a reproducible record.
Do I need a Business Associate Agreement?
If the clinical site or institution handles protected health information, include a BAA to meet HIPAA obligations; this documents permitted uses and safeguards for PHI.
When is notarization required?
Notarization is rarely required for affiliation agreements, but some clinical sites or state rules may request notarized signatures; confirm site policy or state law before executing.
Who should sign on behalf of each party?
An authorized representative with signature authority signs (e.g., dean, chief medical officer, or delegated legal signatory); confirm authority in a corporate resolution if necessary.
How do I amend an existing agreement?
Document amendments in a written addendum signed by authorized representatives; avoid oral modifications and keep executed addenda together with the original agreement.
What records should be retained?
Keep the fully executed agreement, attachments, insurance certificates, and credentialing records for at least the active term plus related federal or industry retention periods such as 6 years for HIPAA.

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