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N296 Remark Code: Supervising Provider Name Invalid

N296 means the supervising provider's name was missing, incomplete, or invalid. When a payer requires the claim to identify the clinician who supervised the rendering provider, the name reported did not meet its requirements.

Quick facts

Code
N296 (RARC N296)
Status
Active In use since December 2, 2004.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The billing provider corrects the supervising provider data; the patient is not liable.
Official description
Missing/incomplete/invalid supervising provider name.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N296 means

Some services are performed by one clinician under another’s supervision. Payers that need to see the supervisor on the claim expect the supervising provider’s name and NPI. On paper, box 17 does this job when preceded by the DQ qualifier. N296 says the name part of that entry was absent, incomplete, or inconsistent with the supervising NPI.

It generally travels with CARC 16. Correct the data and the claim can be reprocessed.

Common causes

  • Box 17 carried a name without the DQ qualifier, so the payer read it as a referring or ordering provider.
  • The supervising physician’s NPI was reported but not the name.
  • Credentials or titles were entered in the name fields.
  • The supervisor listed wasn’t the one on duty on the date of service.
  • The name reported differs from the physician’s registered name in NPPES.

How to fix it

  1. Confirm from documentation or staffing records who supervised the service on that date.
  2. Look up the supervising clinician’s registered name and NPI.
  3. Enter the DQ qualifier, name, and NPI in box 17 and 17b, or populate the 837P supervising provider section.
  4. Resubmit with frequency code 7 and the original claim number.

Before resubmitting, make sure the supervision itself met the payer’s requirements. Correcting the name can’t fix a supervision rule that wasn’t followed.

How to prevent it

Tie supervision to the schedule: for services that need a supervisor, have the scheduling system record who was supervising so it flows into the claim automatically. For practices where supervision requirements vary by payer, keep a payer-specific list of the services and clinician types that require a supervising provider on the claim. The CARC 16 guide covers related missing-provider remarks.

Codes that may appear with N296

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): Missing or invalid information; N296 identifies the supervising provider's name.
  • N297 (Missing/incomplete/invalid supervising provider primary identifier.): The supervising provider's NPI is the problem.
  • N298 (Missing/incomplete/invalid supervising provider secondary identifier.): The supervising provider's secondary identifier is the problem.
  • M136 (Missing/incomplete/invalid indication that the service was supervised or evaluated by a physician.): Missing or invalid indication that a physician supervised or evaluated the service.

N296 FAQ

Where does the supervising provider go on a CMS-1500?

In box 17 with the DQ qualifier, with the supervising NPI in box 17b. Electronic claims have a separate supervising provider section.

When is a supervising provider required?

When the payer's rules require the claim to show who supervised the clinician who performed the service. Which services and clinician types this applies to varies by payer.

Can I report both a referring and a supervising provider?

The paper form's box 17 holds only one provider at a time. Electronic claims can report both roles in separate sections, so payer-specific instructions matter.