CO 5 Denial Code – Procedure Code is Inconsistent with Place of Service

The concept of medical billing is quite structured and formalized in a way that it helps not only the claimants but also the insurance company itself. In order to get the claim from your insurance company, it is imperative that you make the details inclusive and cohesive. Co 5 denial code means the “procedure code is inconsistent with the place of service“.

The denial code CO or contractual obligation is one domain of rejection and each instance has its own unique code. If your claim gets rejected, you will always be provided with a code and that will help you analyze what needs to be further done.

The CO/PR-5 claim Denial reason stands for all those claims which are rejected on the basis of inconsistency in billing type or procedure codes with the place of service.

Understanding the exact meaning of Denial Reason Co 5.

The CO5 Denial reason code as discussed previously is affixed for all those claims which are not made in terms of consistency with the place of service. The place of service is usually the genre of the medical facility where the service has been rendered.

There are a lot of specifications like rehabilitation centres, hospices, or even various genres of hospitals. A procedure code as we have already mentioned is also an area of rejection under this particular code.

It usually refers to a five-character code and specifies the kind of service that was rendered in the particular health care facility.

Now coming to the billing type, it is usually a three-digit code and is referred to as the variant of the bill that the claimant will be submitting to the insurance company.

For the claim to be accepted it is very important that all the three factors- the place of service, procedure code, and the bill type should be in compliance with each other.

If there is an issue with any of them, there will be a direct rejection of the claim and the Denial reason co5 will be affixed.

What Can One Do If the Claim Has Been Rejected Under This Code?

  • In case the code is rejected under the Denial reason code CO-5, it is possible that you can reclaim it. However, in that case, it is equally important that you first check with the coding team if there are any kind of coding mishaps.
  • Get them checked thoroughly and only then can you be extra sure. If you see that the codes mentioned are correct, get in touch with the insurance company and check on the reasons behind the rejection.
  • Call the insurance company and ask to rep about the denial and also confirmed with him/her that our coding team ensured the procedure code (CPT) is consistent with the place of service (POS) so request to reprocess the claim.
  • If the insurance rep does not send a claim for reprocessing then ask him/her for an appeal with appropriate documents and also confirm the Appeal address, timely filing limit of appeal, and call reference number as well.

Once your claim has been revised, you can send it for reconsideration. However, be very precise and extra sure of the codes.

FAQ-Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Can the rejections under the CO-5 Denial code be reclaimed?

Ans. Yes, you can easily reclaim if your insurance was rejected under the CO 5 Denial code. However, in that case, you’ll have to recheck or either correct the code. In case it was already correct, get in touch with the insurance company then and there.

Q2. What does the CO 5 Denial code stand for?

Ans. The CO 5 Denial code in the simplest words, stands for those claims where the type of procedures are not made in terms of consistency with the bill type.

Q3. My code is right but still, it was rejected under the CO-5 Denial code. What should I do?

Ans. If you have reviewed and checked that your code was right and still it was denied under the CO-5 Denial code, get in touch with the insurance company today. They will ensure the right kind of assistance for an easy solution to your problems.

Author

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  • NSingh (MBA, RCM Expert)

    The author and contributor of this blog "NSingh" is working in Medical Billing and Coding since 2010. He is MBA in marketing and Having vaste experience in different scopes of Medical Billing and Coding as AR-Follow-up, Payment Posting, Charge posting, Coding, etc.