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A771

A771 – Certification of death

OHIP General Listings Code — CONSULTATIONS AND VISITS · Schedule of Benefits

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Certification of death is payable to the physician who personally completes the death certificate on a patient who has been pronounced dead by another physician, medical resident or other authorized health professional.

When to Use

  • Bill A771 when you are called to complete a death certificate for a patient pronounced dead by a nurse, paramedic, or another physician, and you did not pronounce the death yourself.
  • Use A771 if you are certifying a death that occurred in a patient's home, and the pronouncement was made by another healthcare professional.
  • A771 is appropriate when you are completing the death certificate for a patient who died in a hospital, but you were not the physician who pronounced them dead.

Common Pitfalls

  • Billing A771 when you were the physician who pronounced the death; in this scenario, bill A902 (home) or A777 (intermediate assessment) instead, as these include certification.
  • Submitting A771 without the required diagnostic code for the underlying cause of death as documented on the death certificate will lead to claim rejection.
  • Claiming A771 on the same day as A902, A777, or C777 will result in the A771 being payable at nil, as the pronouncement code encompasses the certification.

Billing Tips

  • Ensure the diagnostic code submitted with A771 accurately reflects the underlying cause of death as stated on the official death certificate.
  • If counselling of relatives occurs during the same visit as completing the death certificate, it is included in the A771 fee and does not require separate billing.
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Provider Fee$24.20

Effective: April 1, 2026

Category

A. Consultations and Visits

Subcategory

CONSULTATIONS AND VISITS

Service Type

Consultations and Visits

Code Classes

Assessment

Claims submitted for this service must include the diagnostic code for the underlying cause of death as recorded on the death certificate.

A902House call assessment - Pronouncement of death in the homeA777Intermediate assessment - Pronouncement of deathC771Certification of death (Hospital in-patient)W771Certification of death (Long-term care/Nursing home)A772Certification of stillbirth

This code is specifically for the administrative act of completing the certificate when the physician was not the one who pronounced the death.

If the physician also pronounced the death, the pronouncement code (e.g., A902, A777) should be billed instead, as it includes the certification.

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