CO-140: Patient ID Number and Name Do Not Match

What Does CO-140 Mean?

With CO (Contractual Obligation), the CARC 140 adjustment is the provider's responsibility. The payer denied or reduced payment because of the patient's name on the claim does not match the payer's enrollment file due to a spelling error, name variation, or typo. The patient is not liable for this amount.

CARC 140 is used when the payer determines that patient id number and name do not match. The claim could not be processed as submitted because required information was absent, incomplete, or did not meet the payer's submission standards.

Common scenarios that trigger this adjustment include: the patient's name on the claim does not match the payer's enrollment file due to a spelling error, name variation, or typo; The member identification number entered on the claim is incorrect, possibly transposed, outdated, or belonging to a different family member; The patient had a legal name change (e.g., marriage, divorce) that is reflected on the claim but not yet updated in the payer's enrollment records. The group code paired with CARC 140 determines who bears the financial responsibility — CO places it on the provider as a contractual obligation, OA indicates a coordination of benefits or other payer adjustment, PR shifts it to the patient.

Common Causes

How to Resolve

1. Review the remittance details Examine the CO-140 adjustment and any accompanying RARC codes to identify the specific reason for the denial.
2. Identify the root cause Determine which issue applies: patient name misspelled on claim, wrong member ID number on claim, name change not updated with payer, among others.
3. Correct the claim Address the identified issue — update the claim data in your billing system to resolve the patient id number and name do not match problem.
4. Resubmit the corrected claim Submit the corrected claim following the payer's resubmission guidelines. Include any supporting documentation that addresses the denial reason.

Common RARC Pairings

The RARC code tells you exactly what triggered the CO-140:

How to Prevent CO-140

• Verify patient name and ID against the insurance card at every visit
• Use real-time eligibility verification to confirm patient demographics before claim submission
• Implement patient registration quality checks that compare entered data against the insurance card
• Ask patients about recent name changes during check-in
• Train registration staff on the importance of accurate patient demographic entry
• For dependents, verify the correct member ID (dependent-specific, not subscriber)

Also Filed As

The same CARC 140 may appear with different Group Codes:

Related Denial Codes