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MA111 Remark Code: Purchased Test Price or Lab Info Missing

MA111 means the claim was missing, or had incomplete or invalid, purchase price for purchased tests and/or the performing laboratory's name and address. Payers need both to apply purchased diagnostic test rules.

Quick facts

Code
MA111 (RARC MA111)
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 purchased test was not paid until the missing details are provided. The provider corrects it; the patient is not billed.
Official description
Missing/incomplete/invalid purchase price of the test(s) and/or the performing laboratory's name and address.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What MA111 means

MA111 follows naturally from MA110. Once the claim says a diagnostic test was purchased from an outside supplier, the payer needs two more things: the purchase price and the performing laboratory’s name and address. MA111 says one or both were missing or invalid.

These details matter because payment for purchased tests may be limited by the price the billing provider paid, and the payer needs to know who actually performed the test. MA111 usually appears with CARC 16.

Common causes

  • Item 20 indicated a purchased test, but the price was left blank.
  • The performing supplier’s name and address were missing from item 32.
  • The price was reported per claim instead of per test when the payer expected line-level reporting.
  • The electronic claim did not include the purchased service segment.

How to fix it

  1. Pull the invoice from the supplier to confirm the price paid for each test.
  2. Report the purchase price in item 20 or the line-level purchased service data on the 837.
  3. Enter the performing supplier in item 32 and its NPI in 32a.
  4. Resubmit the corrected claim.

How to prevent it

  • Maintain a table of purchased test suppliers, addresses, NPIs, and prices.
  • Require these fields whenever the purchased-test indicator is “yes.”
  • Review lab billing workflows for missing information denials.

Codes that may appear with MA111

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): Required information is missing, specifically the purchase price or performing lab details.
  • MA110 (Missing/incomplete/invalid information on whether the diagnostic test(s) were performed by an outside entity or if no purchased tests are included…): The indicator of whether purchased tests are included was missing.
  • MA114 (Missing/incomplete/invalid information on where the services were furnished.): Information on where the services were furnished was missing.
  • N294 (Missing/incomplete/invalid service facility primary address.): The service facility's address was missing or invalid.

MA111 FAQ

Where does the purchase price go?

On the CMS-1500 it is reported in item 20 (outside lab charges) when 'yes' is checked. On an 837, purchased service information is reported for the line.

Where do I put the performing lab's name and address?

Item 32 (service facility location) is typically used for the performing supplier of a purchased test, along with its NPI in 32a. Follow your payer's instructions.

Why does the purchase price matter?

Payers, including Medicare, may limit payment for purchased tests based on what the billing provider paid, so the price is needed to calculate payment.