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146
CO - Contractual ObligationCoding/Billing
Denial Code CO-146: Diagnosis Not Enough to Justify Service
What Does Code 146 Mean?
Diagnosis was invalid for the date(s) of service reported. The ICD-10 code may be invalid, unspecified, or not supportive of the procedure.
Group Code CO (Contractual Obligation): The provider has agreed to accept the payer's determination. The patient is generally not responsible for this amount.
Why Does This Happen?
Using an unspecified or incorrect diagnosis code that does not support the billed service.
How to Resolve It
- 1Review and update the ICD-10 code to the most specific available
- 2Ensure laterality and specificity are captured
- 3Resubmit with the corrected diagnosis
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