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HomeHealth and Safety CodeDiv. 102Pt. 1Ch. 6Art. 1§ 102795 Death Certificate Completion Rules

§ 102795 Death Certificate Completion Rules

Health and Safety Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 102795 Death Certificate Completion Rules

This law says the person who last cared for a patient must fill out and sign the medical details and time of death, and a physician assistant can do it if they saw the patient within 72 hours and are allowed to.

Key Takeaways

  • •The last attending physician or surgeon must complete and attest the medical data and time of death.
  • •In a nursing or intermediate care facility, a licensed physician assistant can do this if they visited the patient within 72 hours and are authorized.
  • •When a physician assistant fills it out, they must list the name of the last attending doctor and give a copy to the coroner.
  • •If the coroner is required to complete the data, the coroner does it instead.

Example

Mrs. Lee dies in a skilled nursing facility. The doctor who last treated her is not on site, but a licensed physician assistant who visited her two days earlier is present.

The physician assistant can complete the medical section and time of death because she saw Mrs. Lee within 72 hours and is authorized. She must write down the name of the last doctor, sign the form, and give a copy to the coroner.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 102795 Death Certificate Completion Rules

The medical and health section data and the time of death shall be completed and attested to by the physician and surgeon last in attendance, or in the case of a patient in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility at the time of death, by the physician and surgeon last in attendance or by a licensed physician assistant under the supervision of the physician and surgeon last in attendance if the physician and surgeon or licensed physician assistant is legally authorized to certify and attest to these facts, and if the physician assistant has visited the patient within 72 hours of the patient’s death. In the event the licensed physician assistant certifies the medical and health section data and the time of death, then the physician assistant shall also provide on the document the name of the last attending physician and surgeon and provide the coroner with a copy of the certificate of death. However, the medical health section data and the time of death shall be completed and attested to by the coroner in those cases in which he or she is required to complete the medical and health section data and certify and attest to these facts. (Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1996.)

Last verified: January 11, 2026

Key Terms

medical and health section datatime of deathphysician and surgeon last in attendancelicensed physician assistantcoroner

Related Statutes

  • § 102800 Death Certificate Completion
  • § 102790 Funeral Director Information Collection
  • § 101860 Hospital Asset Transfer Requirements
  • § 101860.5 Corporate Benefit Purpose Statement
  • § 102775 Death Registration Requirements

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Health and Safety Code. Section 102795.
View Official Source