Skip to main content

N217 Remark Code: One Site of Service Per Claim

N217 means the payer only pays for one site of service per provider on a single claim. If services were performed at more than one location, they need to be split onto separate claims, one per site.

Quick facts

Code
N217 (RARC N217)
Status
Active In use since August 1, 2004; last modified March 14, 2014.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): Lines from the extra site were denied because of claim construction. Rebill them correctly; the patient is not responsible.
Official description
We pay only one site of service per provider per claim.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N217 means

A professional claim reports a single service facility location in box 32 and 32a. When a provider sees a patient at two locations and puts all the services on one claim, some of the lines will not match the location on the claim. N217 is the payer’s rule for handling this: only one site of service per provider per claim will be paid. It usually comes with CARC 16.

Common causes

  • A physician saw the patient in the office and later the same day at a hospital, and both services went on one claim.
  • A group with several clinics batched all of a patient’s services for the month onto one claim.
  • The billing system grouped services by patient and date range without considering location.
  • Place of service codes differ across lines, suggesting different sites even if box 32 lists one.

How to fix it

  1. Identify which lines belong to which location, using the encounter records.
  2. Keep lines for one site on the original claim and send a corrected claim with resubmission code 7 in box 22 and the original claim number, removing the other lines.
  3. Submit a new claim for the lines from the other site, with that location in box 32 and 32a and matching place of service codes in 24B.
  4. Check that the billing provider information is correct for each location if your group enrolls sites separately.

How to prevent it

Configure claim creation to split by service facility location and place of service automatically. For providers who work at multiple sites, make sure each encounter captures the location at charge entry so the split happens without manual review.

Codes that may appear with N217

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): The claim has a submission error; N217 explains that mixing sites is the problem.
  • CO-5 (The procedure code/type of bill is inconsistent with the place of service.): The procedure is inconsistent with the place of service, which can occur alongside a multi-site claim.
  • CO-58 (Treatment was deemed by the payer to have been rendered in an inappropriate or invalid place of service.): Treatment was deemed rendered in an inappropriate or invalid place of service.
  • N79 (Service billed is not compatible with patient location information.): The service billed is not compatible with patient location information.
  • N34 (Incorrect claim form/format for this service.): Incorrect claim form or format for this service.

N217 FAQ

What counts as a site of service?

Usually the service facility location, the address in box 32 of the CMS-1500, and sometimes the place of service code in box 24B. Payers define it differently, so check the payer's rule.

Do I need new claims for the denied lines?

Usually. Correct the original claim to keep one site, then submit a new claim for services at the other site. Ask the payer if it wants a different approach.

Why do payers enforce this?

A CMS-1500 claim has room for only one service facility location, so payers price and validate each claim against one site.