835 Denial Combination

CO-57+N163

CO

Contractual Obligation · Service-Line Level Adjustment

What This Combination Means

Level of service billed is not supported — the medical record submitted does not substantiate the complexity of care billed. N163 confirms the records are inadequate.

52%

Appeal Success

14-30 days

Avg. Resolution

Medium

Difficulty

Yes

Appealable

Step-by-Step Resolution

Steps tailored specifically to this CO-57+N163 combination — not generic advice.

  1. 1

    Review the denied claim and the medical record submitted to the payer.

  2. 2

    Identify the specific documentation gap (e.g., insufficient MDM data, missing HPI elements).

  3. 3

    Have the provider create a dated addendum addressing the gap.

  4. 4

    Resubmit the appeal with the supplemented record and an E&M coding rationale.

  5. 5

    Consider provider education on medical decision-making documentation.

Specialty Context

How CO-57+N163 typically presents across different practice types.

Dental

Verify level of service billed is not supported — the medical record submitted does not substantiate the complexity of care billed per your dental plan contract and documentation requirements.

Medical

Confirm level of service billed is not supported — the medical record submitted does not substantiate the complexity of care billed against payer policy and submit corrected claim as needed.

Behavioral Health

Apply behavioral health parity rules and confirm level of service billed is not supported — the medical record submitted does not substantiate the complexity of care billed per MHPAEA standards.

Individual Code References

View the standalone definition for each code in this combination.

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