Health and Safety Code § 102795

Current Version

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 1. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Inoperative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, by its own provisions. See later operative version added by Sec. 2 of Stats. 2025, Ch. 271.

(a)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 they are required to complete the medical and health section data and certify and attest to these facts.

(b)This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2026, and, as of January 1, 2027, is repealed.

Future Version

Repealed (in Sec. 1) and added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 271, Sec. 2. (AB 583) Effective January 1, 2026. Operative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions.

(a)The medical and health section data and the time of death shall be completed and attested to by the physician and surgeon or nurse practitioner last in attendance.

(b)In the case of a patient in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility at the time of death, the medical and health section data and the time of death shall be completed and attested to by the physician and surgeon or nurse practitioner 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. If 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 a case in which they are required to complete the medical and health section data and certify and attest to these facts.

(c)This section shall become operative on July 1, 2026.