PR-247: Professional Service Deductible on Institutional Claim
The patient owes this deductible amount for the professional service component of their institutional claim. Verify the amount is correct and collect from the patient.
What Does PR-247 Mean?
PR-247 confirms the deductible amount for the professional service component is the patient's financial responsibility. The patient owes this amount regardless of which claim form the service was billed on. The payer has processed the claim and determined the patient's deductible obligation for the professional service rendered in the institutional setting. This is standard patient cost-sharing, not a denial.
CARC 247 appears when a payer processes an institutional claim (UB-04) that includes a professional service component and identifies the patient's deductible obligation for that professional component. This code separates the professional service deductible from the overall institutional claim so the provider can properly allocate patient cost-sharing between facility and professional service components.
This is not a denial — it is a standard patient responsibility determination. The payer has processed the claim and determined that the patient owes a deductible amount for the professional service portion of the care received in the institutional setting. The code appears almost exclusively with Group Code PR (Patient Responsibility), confirming the amount should be collected from the patient.
Providers commonly encounter CARC 247 when professional services are rendered and billed within hospital or facility settings — for example, when a physician's services in a hospital outpatient department are included on the facility claim rather than billed separately on a CMS-1500. The key action is to verify the deductible amount is accurate, ensure the patient is not being double-charged across institutional and professional claims, and collect the verified amount from the patient.
Common Causes
| Cause | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Professional service deductible applied on institutional claim When a professional service is rendered in an institutional setting (hospital, SNF, etc.) and billed on the institutional claim form (UB-04), the patient's deductible for the professional component is identified and applied separately using this code | Most Common |
| Split billing between professional and facility components The payer identifies the professional service deductible portion on a facility claim to properly allocate patient cost-sharing between the professional and institutional components of the service | Most Common |
| Patient deductible not yet met The patient's annual deductible has not been satisfied, and the professional service portion of the institutional claim is applied toward the remaining deductible balance | Common |
| Incorrect claim form used for professional services A professional service that should have been billed separately on a CMS-1500 was instead included on the institutional UB-04 claim, causing the payer to apply the deductible under this institutional claim context | Occasional |
How to Resolve
Verify the deductible amount is correct based on the patient's benefit plan, then collect the deductible from the patient.
- Confirm the deductible amount Verify the PR-247 deductible matches the patient's remaining deductible balance. Check whether other claims processed around the same time may have also applied deductible amounts.
- Check for split-billing accuracy If services are split between institutional (UB-04) and professional (CMS-1500) claims, ensure the deductible is applied correctly across both claims without duplication.
- Generate patient statement Bill the patient for the verified deductible amount with clear identification of the date of service, the professional service rendered, and the deductible applied.
- Contact payer if amount is incorrect If the deductible amount appears wrong — for example, if the patient's deductible was already met — contact the payer with benefit verification showing the correct deductible status and request reprocessing.
PR-247 is a deductible application, not a denial. The patient owes the deductible amount for the professional service component. If the deductible amount appears incorrect, verify the patient's benefits and contact the payer for correction. Collect the verified amount from the patient.
Common RARC Pairings
The RARC code tells you exactly what triggered the PR-247:
| RARC | Description |
|---|---|
| N381 | Deductible amount applied to the professional service component Verify deductible status and bill patient for the applied amount → |
How to Prevent PR-247
- Verify the patient's deductible status before providing services to set accurate financial expectations and facilitate upfront collections
- Ensure proper claim form selection — bill professional services on CMS-1500 and institutional services on UB-04 per each payer's specific requirements
- Coordinate between facility and professional billing departments to prevent deductible allocation errors on split-billed services
- Track patient deductible accumulation across all claims to prevent double-application of deductible amounts
- Train billing staff on the distinction between professional and institutional service components in facility settings
General Prevention
- Verify the patient's deductible status before billing to set accurate expectations for patient cost-sharing on institutional claims
- Ensure proper claim form selection — bill professional services on CMS-1500 and institutional services on UB-04 per payer requirements
- Coordinate between facility billing and professional billing departments to prevent deductible allocation confusion on split-billed services
- Track patient deductible accumulation across claims to ensure accurate deductible application and prevent double-application
- Train billing staff on the distinction between professional and institutional claim components in hospital settings
Related Denial Codes
Sources
- https://www.mdclarity.com/denial-code/247
- https://x12.org/codes/claim-adjustment-reason-codes
- Codes maintained by X12. Visit x12.org for official definitions.