C710 – Comprehensive Critical Care Medicine Consultation
OHIP Surgical Procedures Code — Critical Care Medicine (11) · Schedule of Benefits
This service is a comprehensive critical care medicine consultation for a non-emergency hospital in-patient, subject to the same conditions as A710. It is rendered by a specialist in critical care medicine who provides all the appropriate elements of a consultation and spends a minimum of seventy-five (75) minutes of direct contact with the patient, exclusive of time spent rendering any other separately billable intervention to the patient. As a consultation, it requires a written request from a referring physician, nurse practitioner, or dental surgeon. The consultant must perform an assessment and prepare a written report with findings, opinions, and recommendations for the referring practitioner. See for full consultation requirements.
When to Use
- Use C710 when a critical care specialist provides a comprehensive consultation for a non-emergency inpatient, ensuring the 75-minute direct contact threshold is met.
- Use this code instead of A710 when the service is provided in a non-emergency hospital setting and meets all formal consultation requirements under GP16.
Common Pitfalls
- Failing to document precise start and stop times in the medical record, which is a mandatory requirement for this time-based code.
- Billing C710 when the referral request is missing or does not meet the specific documentation requirements outlined in GP16, leading to automatic downgrades to a lower assessment fee.
- Exceeding the frequency limits of one service per 12-month period for the same diagnosis, which triggers an automatic adjustment to a standard assessment fee.
Billing Tips
- Ensure the 75 minutes of direct contact time is exclusive of any other separately billable interventions, as overlapping time will lead to audit recovery.
- Always verify that the written referral request includes the referring practitioner's billing number, as claims lacking this detail are frequently rejected.
Effective: June 1, 2025
Consultations and Visits
Critical Care Medicine (11)
Consultation
Hospital and Institutional Consultations and Assessments, Consultations
The start and stop times must be recorded in the patient's permanent medical record.
A copy of the written request for the consultation, signed by the referring practitioner, must be kept in the consulting physician's medical record. In a hospital setting, the written request may be contained on the common medical record.
The written request must identify the consultant by name, the referring practitioner by name and billing number, and the patient by name and health number. It must also set out the information relevant to the referral and specify the service(s) required.
subject to the same conditions as A710
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