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MA43 Remark Code: Missing or Invalid Patient Status

MA43 means the patient status, the code showing where the patient went at discharge or whether they are still a patient, is missing, incomplete, or invalid. The payer uses it to apply discharge, transfer, and interim billing rules.

Quick facts

Code
MA43 (RARC MA43)
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 facility must correct the claim. An invalid status code is not billable to the patient.
Official description
Missing/incomplete/invalid patient status.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What MA43 means

The patient status code closes the story of the stay. It says whether the patient went home, went home with home health, transferred to another hospital or a skilled nursing facility, left against medical advice, died, or is still a patient. MA43 means the code was missing, invalid, or conflicted with the rest of the claim.

Because discharge disposition affects transfer payment adjustments and follow-up care rules, payers look closely at this field.

Common causes

  • The field was left blank on a final claim.
  • A still-a-patient status was used on a claim whose type of bill says admit through discharge.
  • An expired status was used with dates that continue after death.
  • The status does not reflect the patient’s actual destination, for example a home status when records show transfer to a skilled nursing facility.

How to fix it

  1. Check the discharge record to confirm the disposition.
  2. Correct form locator 17 with the matching status code.
  3. Align the type of bill frequency code with the status.
  4. Resubmit the claim, using the replacement frequency code if it was already processed.

How to prevent it

Have case management confirm the discharge destination before final billing, especially when plans change on the day of discharge. A Claims Validator can flag conflicts between status and bill type before submission.

Codes that may appear with MA43

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): Required information is missing or invalid, with MA43 naming patient status.
  • MA42 (Missing/incomplete/invalid admission source.): The admission source, where the patient came from, is missing or invalid.
  • MA30 (Missing/incomplete/invalid type of bill.): The type of bill is missing or invalid; its frequency code must agree with the patient status.
  • MA31 (Missing/incomplete/invalid beginning and ending dates of the period billed.): The statement period dates are missing or invalid.

MA43 FAQ

Where is the patient status reported?

Form locator 17 on the UB-04. On an 837I it is the patient status code in the institutional claim code segment.

Why is discharge status so important?

It can change payment. For example, under Medicare's inpatient transfer policy, discharges to certain post-acute settings can reduce the payment for some diagnosis groups.

What status applies to interim bills?

Interim claims use a still-a-patient status. Final claims must show the actual discharge disposition.