CARC 15CO · Contractual ObligationDeactivated 2018-05-01
The prior authorization number submitted with the claim was missing, invalid, or didn't match the service billed.
- Common causes
- The authorization wasn't obtained before the service, expired before the date of service, or the wrong authorization number was entered on the claim.
- Suggested fix
- This code was deactivated by X12 in 2018 in favor of more specific codes like 197. On legacy remittances, verify the correct authorization number with the payer and resubmit.
Related Contractual Obligation codes
107This claim depends on another related claim or service being referenced, but that link wasn't provided.11The diagnosis code doesn't support medical necessity for the procedure billed, based on the payer's coverage edits.13The claim shows a date of service after the patient's recorded date of death.146The diagnosis code billed wasn't a valid, active code as of the date of service.150The documentation submitted doesn't justify the complexity or level of the service billed, commonly seen with evaluation and management visit levels.16The claim is missing required information or contains a billing error that prevented the payer from processing it.170This payer doesn't reimburse this specific provider type for this service.171This payer doesn't cover this service when it's billed by this provider type in this particular facility setting.
Frequently asked questions
What does CARC 15 mean?
The prior authorization number submitted with the claim was missing, invalid, or didn't match the service billed.
How do I resolve CARC 15?
This code was deactivated by X12 in 2018 in favor of more specific codes like 197. On legacy remittances, verify the correct authorization number with the payer and resubmit.
Why does CARC 15 happen?
The authorization wasn't obtained before the service, expired before the date of service, or the wrong authorization number was entered on the claim.
CARC codes maintained by X12 (x12.org). Descriptions on this site are original reference interpretations. Always verify codes with authoritative sources before making billing decisions.