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N207 Remark Code: Missing or Invalid Patient Weight

N207 means the patient's weight was missing, incomplete, or invalid on the claim. Some services are priced or covered based on weight, such as newborn inpatient stays, bariatric equipment, and certain transports, so the payer needs it to process the claim.

Quick facts

Code
N207 (RARC N207)
Status
Active In use since June 30, 2003; last modified November 18, 2005.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The claim was denied or held for missing data. The provider corrects it; the amount is not billable to the patient.
Official description
Missing/incomplete/invalid weight.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N207 means

Weight is not a field most claims need, which is why it is easy to miss when it is required. N207 says the payer expected a weight and either got none, got a partial value, or got something it could not accept. It typically explains CARC 16.

The most common setting is inpatient newborn care, where birth weight influences how the stay groups for payment. Weight also matters for some supplier and transport claims: bariatric wheelchairs and beds, and ambulance transports where patient size affects the service.

Common causes

  • A newborn claim did not include birth weight in the value code field the payer expects.
  • Weight was entered in pounds where the payer required grams, producing an implausible value.
  • A bariatric equipment claim lacked the patient’s weight to show the item’s weight threshold was met.
  • The billing system does not map weight from the clinical record to the claim.

How to fix it

  1. Find the recorded weight in the chart for the relevant date, such as birth weight from the delivery record.
  2. Check the payer’s instructions for where weight belongs and in what units.
  3. Add or correct the value and submit a corrected claim, using frequency code 7 on institutional claims or resubmission code 7 in box 22 on professional claims, with the original claim number.
  4. If the payer also needs documentation, attach the page of the record showing the weight.

How to prevent it

For newborn admissions and bariatric orders, make weight a required field in registration or order entry, and confirm the interface passes it to billing in the correct unit.

Codes that may appear with N207

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): Information needed to adjudicate is missing; N207 identifies weight.
  • CO-272 (Coverage/program guidelines were not met.): Coverage guidelines requiring a minimum weight, for example for bariatric items, were not shown to be met.
  • M49 (Missing/incomplete/invalid value code(s) or amount(s).): Missing or invalid value codes or amounts, which is where institutional claims often report birth weight.
  • N50 (Missing/incomplete/invalid discharge information.): Missing or invalid discharge information, another institutional data element.
  • N208 (Missing/incomplete/invalid DRG code.): Missing or invalid DRG code, which for newborns can depend on birth weight.

N207 FAQ

Where is patient weight reported?

It depends on the claim type. Institutional newborn claims typically carry birth weight as a value code amount. Professional and supplier claims have a patient weight element in the 837 that some payers require for specific services.

What units should weight be in?

Follow the payer's instructions. Birth weight is often reported in grams, while other services may use pounds. Using the wrong unit can make the value invalid.

Which services commonly need weight?

Newborn and NICU stays, ambulance transports of heavier patients, bariatric equipment, and some weight-based drug dosing. Payer requirements vary.