CARC 250 Active

CO-250: Incorrect Attachment Received — Expected Document Still Missing

TL;DR

The payer received the wrong document. Find the right one using the RARC codes, and resubmit the claim with the correct attachment.

Action
Resubmit
Who Pays
Provider
Appeal
No
Patient Impact
None
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional billing advice. Always verify information against your payer contracts and current coding guidelines. Consult a certified billing specialist for specific claim issues.

What Does CO-250 Mean?

CO-250 means the claim cannot be processed because the wrong attachment was received. This is a contractual obligation on the provider to supply the correct documentation. The patient is not responsible for the denied amount — the provider must correct the documentation and resubmit. The RARC codes accompanying the denial specify exactly which document is needed.

CARC 250 appears when the payer received documentation with the claim but it was the wrong document. Unlike CARC 252 (which signals no attachment was submitted at all), CARC 250 specifically indicates that something was received — but it was not the document the payer expected. The expected documentation is still missing and must be provided before the claim can be processed.

Common scenarios include sending operative notes when the payer requested prior authorization documentation, attaching records for the wrong patient or date of service, submitting partial documentation when the payer needed a specific report type, or sending a document that was corrupted or unreadable during transmission.

This code appears with Group Code CO and must be accompanied by at least one RARC that specifies what documentation is actually needed. The accompanying RARC is critical — it tells you exactly which document the payer requires. The resolution is straightforward: identify the correct document, verify it matches the claim, and resubmit. This is not a coverage dispute, so appeals are not appropriate — just send the right paperwork.

Common Causes

Cause Frequency
Wrong document attached to claim submission The provider submitted an attachment that does not match what the payer requested — for example, sending operative notes when the payer requested prior authorization documentation, or attaching records for the wrong patient or date of service Most Common
Document mismatch between claim and attachment The attachment was sent but does not correspond to the specific claim or service line — wrong date of service, wrong patient, or wrong procedure referenced in the attached documentation Common
Partial documentation submitted Some documentation was provided but the specific document the payer requires is still missing — for example, clinical notes were sent but the required imaging reports or lab results were not included Common
Attachment formatting or transmission error The correct document was sent but was unreadable, corrupted, or in a format the payer's system cannot process, causing the payer to treat it as an incorrect submission Occasional

How to Resolve

Identify the correct document needed by reading the RARC codes, locate it, and resubmit the claim with the right attachment.

  1. Decode the RARC Read the Remittance Advice Remark Code to understand exactly what document the payer needs. N479 means COB/EOB, N714 means medical report, N716 means chart notes.
  2. Audit the original submission Determine what went wrong — was the wrong document attached, was it for the wrong patient, or was the file corrupted? Identify the root cause to prevent recurrence.
  3. Prepare the correct document Retrieve the specific document requested, verify it matches the claim (patient, date of service, procedure), and ensure it is legible and in an accepted format.
  4. Resubmit the claim Submit the claim with the correct attachment linked to the original claim reference number. Use electronic submission when possible to reduce transmission errors.
  5. Track until resolved Monitor the claim for reprocessing confirmation. If the claim is not resolved within the expected timeframe, contact the payer to verify receipt of the corrected submission.
Do Not Appeal This Code

CO-250 indicates the wrong document was submitted. The claim was not denied on its merits — the payer simply received the wrong attachment. Locate the correct document and resubmit the claim rather than filing an appeal.

Common RARC Pairings

The RARC code tells you exactly what triggered the CO-250:

RARC Description
N479 Missing Explanation of Benefits (Coordination of Benefits or Medicare Secondary Payer) Submit the correct COB/MSP documentation and resubmit →
N714 Missing required medical report Submit the specific medical report requested and resubmit claim →
N716 Missing chart documentation Submit the patient's chart notes for the date of service →

How to Prevent CO-250

General Prevention

Related Denial Codes

CO-13 — Date of Death Precedes Date of Service CO-14 — Date of Birth Follows Date of Service CO-16 — Missing Information or Billing Error CO-31 — Patient Not Identified as Insured CO-107 — Related or Qualifying Service Not Identified

Sources

  1. https://www.mdclarity.com/denial-code/250
  2. https://x12.org/codes/claim-adjustment-reason-codes
  3. Codes maintained by X12. Visit x12.org for official definitions.