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M136 Remark Code: Physician Supervision Not Indicated

M136 means the claim was missing, or had an incomplete or invalid, indication that the service was supervised or evaluated by a physician. Some services are covered only under physician supervision or evaluation.

Quick facts

Code
M136 (RARC M136)
Status
Active In use since January 1, 1997; last modified February 28, 2003.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The service was not paid due to missing supervision information. The provider corrects and resubmits; the patient is not billed.
Official description
Missing/incomplete/invalid indication that the service was supervised or evaluated by a physician.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What M136 means

Some services are covered only when a physician supervises them, or evaluates the results. Examples include certain diagnostic tests and services performed by auxiliary staff under a physician’s direction. M136 tells you the claim did not show, in a form the payer accepted, that the required physician involvement happened.

The remark focuses on the claim data. It does not necessarily mean supervision was lacking, only that the payer could not see it.

Common causes

  • Supervising provider information missing from the electronic claim.
  • Modifiers or indicators the payer uses for supervision omitted.
  • A supervising practitioner who is not enrolled with the payer, so their identifier is not accepted.
  • A physician evaluation of results that was performed but not documented or reported.

How to fix it

  1. Check the payer’s rules for how supervision or evaluation must be reported for this service.
  2. Confirm from the record who supervised or evaluated the service and at what level.
  3. Add the supervising provider’s information or the required indicator, and make sure that provider is enrolled.
  4. Resubmit, using frequency code 7 if the claim was adjudicated.

How to prevent it

  • Map services that require supervision in your charge master and require the supervising provider at charge entry.
  • Keep enrollment current for every practitioner who supervises billed services.
  • Validate supervision fields with a Claims Validator.

For provider identifier and enrollment problems, see the provider enrollment guide.

Codes that may appear with M136

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): The claim lacks information, identified by M136 as the supervision indicator.
  • CO-B7 (This provider was not certified/eligible to be paid for this procedure/service on this date of service.): The provider was not eligible to be paid for the service as billed without required supervision.
  • N290 (Missing/incomplete/invalid rendering provider primary identifier.): The rendering provider identifier was missing or invalid.
  • N253 (Missing/incomplete/invalid attending provider primary identifier.): The attending provider identifier was missing or invalid.

M136 FAQ

Which services need a supervision indicator?

Services furnished by non-physician staff that a payer covers only under physician supervision, and some diagnostic tests that require a physician's supervision or evaluation. Rules vary by payer and service.

How is supervision shown on a claim?

Depending on the payer, through a supervising provider name and NPI, specific modifiers, or claim notes. Check the payer's instructions.

What if supervision did not occur?

Then the service may not be billable as submitted. Do not add a supervision indicator unless the record supports it.