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M67 Remark Code: Other Procedure Codes Missing or Invalid

M67 means the payer could not accept the claim's other (secondary) procedure codes because they were missing, incomplete, or invalid. It usually explains a CO-16 rejection on an institutional claim that must be corrected and resubmitted.

Quick facts

Code
M67 (RARC M67)
Status
Active In use since January 1, 1997; last modified December 2, 2004.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The claim or line was not paid because required procedure coding was defective. The provider must correct it; the patient is not billed.
Official description
Missing/incomplete/invalid other procedure code(s).
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What M67 means

Claims that report surgical or other significant procedures carry one principal procedure code and, when more were performed, a list of “other” procedure codes. M67 tells you that at least one of those secondary entries could not be used. The payer found the field empty when the claim needed it, found a truncated code, or found a value that does not exist in the code set it validates against.

M67 almost always sits beside CARC 16 as a missing-information rejection. Because the problem is in claim data, not in coverage, the service has not been judged on its merits yet.

Common causes

  • A procedure code with too few characters, such as an ICD-10-PCS code that was cut short in the abstract or the billing system.
  • A code that was deleted or not yet effective on the procedure date.
  • Secondary procedures documented in the record but never abstracted onto the claim, when the payer’s edits require them for grouping or pricing.
  • Procedure codes present but their dates missing or out of order, which some systems report alongside M67 (see N302).
  • Mapping errors when the coding system hands data to the billing system, such as codes landing in the wrong occurrence.

How to fix it

  1. Pull the remittance detail and identify which claim you are working. M67 is usually claim-level, so check the whole procedure section.
  2. Compare the claim to the coded abstract. Confirm every secondary procedure appears with the full code and the correct date.
  3. Validate each code against the code set in effect on the date of the procedure.
  4. Submit a corrected claim using the payer’s replacement process (frequency code 7 for a replacement), or a new claim if the original was rejected up front and never entered adjudication.
  5. Watch the next remittance for any related diagnosis-related group or pricing change triggered by the added codes.

How to prevent it

  • Run an edit that blocks institutional claims when a procedure code lacks its date or has the wrong length.
  • Load annual code set updates before the effective date and retire deleted codes in your charge and coding tools.
  • Audit the interface between the coding and billing systems whenever either is upgraded.

For a broader look at information-driven rejections, see the CO-16 guide.

Codes that may appear with M67

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): The claim lacks information needed for adjudication, and M67 identifies the other procedure codes as the missing piece.
  • CO-181 (Procedure code was invalid on the date of service.): A procedure code was invalid on the date of service, which can surface on secondary procedure fields as well.
  • N302 (Missing/incomplete/invalid other procedure date(s).): The companion remark for missing or invalid other procedure dates. Each reported procedure code generally needs a matching date.
  • MA66 (Missing/incomplete/invalid principal procedure code.): Points to the principal procedure code rather than the secondary ones.
  • M51 (Missing/incomplete/invalid procedure code(s).): Used for missing or invalid procedure codes on service lines, not the claim-level procedure fields.

M67 FAQ

What are 'other procedure codes'?

They are the secondary procedure codes reported at the claim level, most often on inpatient institutional claims that list ICD-10-PCS procedures after the principal procedure.

Is M67 an appealable denial?

Usually not. It points to a data problem, so the fix is a corrected claim rather than an appeal.

Can M67 appear when the code itself is valid?

Yes. A valid code can still fail if it is incomplete (missing required characters), was not in effect on the procedure date, or lacks the date that must accompany it.