Which denial codes appear with N381?

N381 commonly rides with CO 45, CO 97, CO 131. The adjustment code says the claim was reduced; the remark code says why.

Remark code

N381 denial code

The payer is pointing at your contract rather than naming the rule it applied.

Usually an appeal

A remark code is not the denial. The adjustment code says the claim was reduced. This one says why. You need both to know what to send back.

What to do

Read the clause it claims to rely on. If the contract does not contain the restriction being applied, that is the appeal: ask them to cite the provision. A reduction that cannot be traced to the agreement it invokes is worth challenging.

Codes it appears with

N381 commonly rides alongside these. Our reading, not a published mapping: X12 publishes no adjustment-to-remark table.

Code	What that one means
CO 45	Charge is above the contracted rate. The difference is written off.
CO 97	The payer says this is already paid inside another service.
CO 131	A negotiated discount specific to this claim was applied.

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