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N144 Remark Code: Rate Changed During Billed Dates

N144 means the rate for the service changed during the dates of service billed. The payer either priced the claim using more than one rate or adjusted it because a single claim spanned the rate change.

Quick facts

Code
N144 (RARC N144)
Status
Active In use since October 31, 2002.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): Any reduction reflecting the rate that applied to part of the period is a contractual adjustment.
  • OA (Other Adjustment): Some payers use an other adjustment to show the split pricing without assigning liability.
Official description
The rate changed during the dates of service billed.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N144 means

Rates change: fee schedules are updated yearly, per diem rates for facilities are reset, and contracts renew. When a claim’s service period straddles one of those dates, the payer has to decide which rate applies to which days. N144 tells you that happened on this claim.

Depending on the payer, it may appear on a correctly priced claim as an explanation, or on a denial asking you to bill the periods separately.

Common causes

  • A monthly or multi-day claim crossed January 1 or another rate update date.
  • A facility’s per diem changed mid-month.
  • A contract amendment took effect partway through the service period.
  • A retroactive rate change was applied to days already billed.

What to do

  1. Identify the rate change date from the payer’s notice, fee schedule, or contract.
  2. Recalculate the expected payment using the correct rate for each part of the period.
  3. If the payment matches, post it; N144 is just an explanation.
  4. If the payer wants separate claims, split the claim at the change date and resubmit per its instructions.
  5. If the math is wrong, dispute the pricing with your calculation.

How to prevent it

Keep a calendar of rate change dates for your key payers and set billing periods to break at those dates when a payer requires it. Monitoring payments against expected rates after each update catches pricing errors early; ERA Analyzer can compare allowed amounts over time.

Codes that may appear with N144

  • CO-45 (Charge exceeds fee schedule/maximum allowable or contracted/legislated fee arrangement.): The charge exceeds the allowed amount, which was calculated with the old and new rates.
  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): Used when the payer requires separate claims for each rate period and the claim was not split.
  • N419 (Claim payment was the result of a payer's retroactive adjustment due to a retroactive rate change.): Claim payment resulted from a retroactive rate change.
  • N689 (Alert: This reversal is due to a retroactive rate change.): A reversal caused by a retroactive rate change.
  • N128 (This amount represents the prior to coverage portion of the allowance.): Separates the portion of an allowance that falls before coverage began, another spanning-claim split.

N144 FAQ

When does N144 usually appear?

On claims covering a span of days, such as facility stays or monthly services, that cross a date when a fee schedule, per diem, or contract rate changed.

Should I split my claims at rate changes?

If the payer requires it, yes. Some payers price across the change automatically; others deny or ask for separate claims.

How do I check the payment?

Multiply the days or units before the change by the old rate and those after by the new rate, and compare the total with the allowed amount.