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C771
C771 – Certification of death
OHIP Surgical Procedures Code — CONSULTATIONS AND VISITS · Schedule of Benefits
Payable for the certification of death for a non-emergency hospital in-patient. This service is subject to the same conditions as A771 and is listed under the 'Family Practice & Practice in General' section for non-emergency hospital in-patient services. The 'C' prefix indicates the service is for an acute care hospital non-emergency in-patient as defined in the Schedule of Benefits.
When to Use
- Use C771 when you are performing the routine certification of death for a patient already admitted to a non-emergency hospital setting.
- Select C771 instead of A771 when the patient is an admitted hospital in-patient, as the 'C' prefix specifically denotes the hospital setting.
Common Pitfalls
- Billing C771 in conjunction with a hospital visit code (e.g., C002) is often rejected as the certification is considered inclusive of the visit.
- Using C771 for a death occurring in an emergency department setting is incorrect; you must use the 'A' prefix codes (A771) with appropriate emergency premiums instead.
Billing Tips
- Ensure the date and time of death are clearly documented in the chart to support the C771 claim in the event of a post-payment audit.
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