C770 – Extended comprehensive geriatric consultation
OHIP Surgical Procedures Code — CONSULTATIONS AND VISITS · Schedule of Benefits
An extended comprehensive geriatric consultation for a non-emergency hospital in-patient. This service is subject to the same conditions as A770, which include being for a patient at least 65 years of age or for the assessment of dementia, and involves a minimum of 90 minutes in direct contact with the patient. As a consultation, it requires a written request from a referring physician, nurse practitioner, or dental surgeon. The consulting physician must perform a comprehensive assessment, including a review of all relevant data, and provide a written report of findings, opinions, and recommendations to the referring practitioner. The C-prefix indicates this service is for non-emergency hospital in-patients. For emergency calls or special visits, the equivalent General Listing 'A' prefix code should be used with applicable special visit premiums. See for full consultation requirements. The service is eligible for payment only if start and stop times of the service are recorded in the patient's permanent medical record. It is also only eligible for payment if this service has not been rendered on the same patient by the same consultant within the previous 2 years.
When to Use
- Use C770 for a comprehensive, 90-minute geriatric assessment of a hospitalized patient aged 65 or older, provided no consultation has been billed by you for this patient in the last two years.
- Use C770 for an in-patient consultation specifically focused on the diagnostic assessment of dementia, even if the patient is under 65 years of age.
Common Pitfalls
- Billing C770 when the 90-minute requirement includes chart review or report writing; only direct, face-to-face patient contact time counts toward the 90-minute minimum.
- Attempting to claim a special visit premium with C770; C-prefix codes are ineligible for premiums, and you must use the A770 equivalent if a premium is required.
- Failing to document exact start and stop times in the medical record, which is a mandatory requirement for audit compliance on this time-based code.
Billing Tips
- Ensure your documentation explicitly lists the start and stop times of the 90-minute face-to-face interaction to avoid automatic rejection or clawbacks during an audit.
- If you provide a consultation for a patient you have seen within the last two years, the claim will be downgraded to a standard assessment fee; verify your billing history before submitting as C770.
Effective: June 1, 2025
A. Consultations and Visits
CONSULTATIONS AND VISITS
Consultation
Consultations, Hospital and Institutional Consultations and Assessments
A written request from the referring practitioner must be maintained in the patient's record. The request must identify the consultant by name, the referring practitioner (with billing number), the patient (with health number), and specify the required services. (See )
A written report containing findings, opinions, and recommendations must be sent to the referring practitioner. (See )
Start and stop times of the service must be recorded in the patient's permanent medical record. (See )
OR(['[65, null, "years", "at least 65 years of age"]'])
Subject to the same conditions as A770.
Ready to bill this code?
SnapBill makes OHIP billing simple — auto-filled codes, validation, and batch submission.