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CO-115 Denial Code: Procedure Postponed or Canceled

CO-115 means the payer denied or reduced the service because the procedure was postponed, canceled, or delayed. If part of the procedure was actually performed, the claim may need a reduced or discontinued service modifier instead of billing the full procedure.

Quick facts

Code
CO-115 (CARC 115)
Status
Active In use since January 1, 1995; last modified September 30, 2007.
Code set
Claim Adjustment Reason Codes (CARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The provider absorbs the amount. A canceled or incomplete procedure billed as complete is not billable to the patient.
  • PR (Patient Responsibility): Rare. Some plans treat a patient-requested postponement or a missed appointment fee as the patient's responsibility under your financial policy.
Official description
Procedure postponed, canceled, or delayed.
X12 Claim Adjustment Reason Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What CO-115 means

CARC 115 reads procedure postponed, canceled, or delayed. The payer’s information shows the billed procedure did not happen as billed on that date. Sometimes the procedure never started; sometimes it started and was stopped; sometimes it was moved to a later date and the original claim was not updated.

The denial is not about medical necessity. It is about whether the service billed matches what actually took place.

Example: a surgery scheduled for Monday is canceled after the patient is prepped, and is performed on Thursday. The facility bills Monday as a full procedure. The payer denies it with CO-115. The facility should bill Monday with the right discontinued-procedure modifier (if its rules allow) and Thursday as the completed procedure.

Common causes

  • A charge created from the schedule for a procedure that was canceled.
  • A procedure that started but was stopped, billed without a reduced or discontinued modifier.
  • A postponed procedure billed with the original scheduled date.
  • An operative or procedure note that states the procedure was aborted or deferred.
  • Duplicate charges when a rescheduled procedure was billed on both dates.

How to fix it

  1. Review the procedure note for the billed date. Confirm whether the procedure was performed, partly performed, or not performed.
  2. If it was not performed, void the charge. Bill the procedure on the date it was actually done.
  3. If it was partly performed, send a corrected claim (resubmission code 7 in box 22) with the right modifier in box 24D: 52, 53, 73, or 74, based on setting and payer rules. Include documentation if the payer requires it.
  4. If it was performed in full on the billed date, appeal with the procedure note showing completion.
  5. Do not bill the patient for the denied amount unless your financial policy and contract allow a cancellation fee.

How to prevent it

  • Generate procedure charges from completed documentation, not from the schedule.
  • Reconcile the surgery or procedure log against charges daily.
  • Teach coders when to use modifiers 52, 53, 73, and 74, and what documentation each requires.
  • Scrub for procedures billed on dates with no completed note. A Claims Validator can help flag unusual modifier and procedure combinations.

Remark codes that may appear with CO-115

  • N441 (This missed/cancelled appointment is not covered.): Missed or canceled appointments are not covered by the payer.
  • N838 (Alert: Service/procedure postponed due to a federal, state, or local mandate/disaster declaration.): The procedure was postponed because of a government mandate or disaster declaration.
  • CO-203 (Discontinued or reduced service.): Discontinued or reduced service, often paired with modifiers for partial procedures.
  • CO-4 (The procedure code is inconsistent with the modifier used.): Procedure code inconsistent with the modifier used, which can follow a wrong reduced-service modifier.
  • CO-112 (Service not furnished directly to the patient and/or not documented.): Service not furnished directly or not documented.
  • CO-150 (Payer deems the information submitted does not support this level of service.): Information does not support the level of service billed.

CO-115 FAQ

Which modifiers apply when a procedure is stopped early?

Common options are 52 for reduced services, 53 for a procedure discontinued by the physician, and 73 and 74 for outpatient or ASC procedures discontinued before or after anesthesia. The right one depends on setting and payer rules.

Can I bill a patient for a canceled procedure?

Payers do not cover canceled services. Charging a patient a cancellation fee depends on your written financial policy and payer contracts; many contracts restrict it.

Does CO-115 mean I can rebill later?

Yes, once the procedure is performed, bill it with the actual date of service.