RARC N286 Active Supplemental

RARC N286: Missing or Invalid Referring Provider Identifier

What This Means

The referring provider's primary identifier (typically the NPI) is missing, incomplete, or invalid on the claim. This prevents the payer from verifying the referral. Confirm the referring provider's NPI is correct and active in the NPPES database, update the claim with the valid identifier, and resubmit.

Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only. Always verify against your payer contracts and current coding guidelines.

Commonly Paired With

RARC N286 commonly appears alongside these CARC denial codes:

Code Name
CO-140 Patient ID Number and Name Do Not Match →
CO-183 Referring Provider Not Authorized to Refer →
CO-184 Ordering/Prescribing Provider Not Eligible →
CO-185 Rendering Provider Not Eligible to Perform Service →
CO-206 NPI Not On File With Payer →
CO-207 Invalid NPI Format →
CO-208 NPI Billing Provider Not Matched →

Sources

  1. X12.org