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MA102 Remark Code (Deactivated): Provider Name or ID

MA102 meant the name or provider identifier for the rendering, referring, ordering, or supervising provider was missing, incomplete, or invalid. X12 deactivated it and suggested M68, which has also been retired; role-specific remarks such as N289 and N290 are used now.

X12 deactivated RARCMA102 on August 1, 2004. Payers should no longer use it on new remittances, but it can still appear on older ERAs, corrected claims, and appeals.

Code: MA102 (RARC MA102)
Status: Deactivated StoppedAugust 1, 2004 (in use since January 1, 1997).
Code set: Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes: CO (Contractual Obligation): Paired with CARC 16 under CO; the billing provider had to correct the provider data.
Official description: Missing/incomplete/invalid name or provider identifier for the rendering/referring/ ordering/ supervising provider.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified: September 24, 2026 against the official X12 list.

What MA102 meant

Remark MA102 told the billing office that, for one of the other providers on the claim, either the name or the identifier was wrong or missing. It could be the rendering, referring, ordering, or supervising provider.

What replaced it

X12’s note suggested M68, which consolidated physician identification problems; M68 was retired as well. Payers now use role- and field-specific remarks, such as N289 for the rendering provider’s name, N290 for the rendering provider’s identifier, and N296 for the supervising provider’s name.

If you still see MA102

It exists only in older data. For current rejections, match each provider’s name and NPI on the claim against NPPES, confirm they are in the right loops, and resubmit.

M68Deactivated (Missing/incomplete/invalid attending, ordering, rendering, supervising or referring physician identification.): The suggested replacement, later deactivated too.
N289 (Missing/incomplete/invalid rendering provider name.): Missing, incomplete, or invalid rendering provider name.
N290 (Missing/incomplete/invalid rendering provider primary identifier.): Missing, incomplete, or invalid rendering provider primary identifier.
N296 (Missing/incomplete/invalid supervising provider name.): Missing, incomplete, or invalid supervising provider name.

MA102 FAQ

How does MA102 differ from M68?

MA102 covered provider names as well as identifiers. M68 covered identifiers only but added the attending physician role.

Do names still matter now that NPIs are used?

Yes. Payers can reject claims where the provider name does not match the NPI record, which is why name-specific remarks such as N289 exist.

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