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N295 Remark Code: Service Facility Secondary ID

N295 means the service facility's secondary identifier was missing, incomplete, or invalid. It is an ID besides the facility NPI, such as a payer-assigned location number or state identifier, that some payers require in box 32b.

Quick facts

Code
N295 (RARC N295)
Status
Active In use since December 2, 2004.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): Provider-correctable location data; the patient does not owe the adjustment.
Official description
Missing/incomplete/invalid service facility secondary identifier.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N295 means

Box 32b sits beside the service facility’s NPI and holds an optional secondary identifier with its qualifier. Payers that track practice locations with their own numbers, or that require a state-issued facility identifier, expect it there or in the electronic equivalent. N295 means the payer wanted that value and didn’t get a valid one.

This is an administrative remark, typically with CARC 16. The service itself was not judged.

Common causes

  • The payer assigns location numbers and yours was never loaded into your billing system.
  • The facility identifier was entered with no qualifier, or with a qualifier describing a different ID type.
  • The practice opened or moved a location and the payer issued a new location number.
  • A value was sent in 32b to a payer that doesn’t use one, and the payer’s edits rejected it.

Resolution steps

  1. Check the payer’s claim instructions or enrollment letter for any location identifier requirement.
  2. If required, confirm the current number for the specific location, and the qualifier to use.
  3. Add both to the location’s payer settings in your system.
  4. If not required, clear box 32b.
  5. Resubmit with frequency code 7 and the original claim number.

How to prevent it

Record payer-assigned location numbers at the moment enrollment for a new site is approved. Keep them in the location directory with effective dates, and review them whenever you move or open a site. Our provider enrollment guide describes how location enrollment connects to claim data.

Codes that may appear with N295

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): Missing or invalid information; N295 names the service facility's secondary identifier.
  • N293 (Missing/incomplete/invalid service facility primary identifier.): The service facility's primary identifier (NPI) is the problem.
  • N278 (Missing/incomplete/invalid other payer service facility provider identifier.): The prior payer's identifier for the service facility is the problem, on a secondary claim.
  • N259 (Missing/incomplete/invalid billing provider/supplier secondary identifier.): The billing provider's secondary identifier is the problem.

N295 FAQ

What goes in box 32b?

A qualifier followed by a non-NPI identifier for the service facility, used only when the payer requires one.

Why would a payer assign its own location number?

Some payers track each enrolled practice location separately and ask for their location identifier so they can match the claim to the right site.

What if the payer doesn't require box 32b?

Leave it blank. An unnecessary or malformed value can trigger a denial by itself.