Skip to main content

N298 Remark Code: Supervising Provider Secondary ID

N298 means the supervising provider's secondary identifier was missing, incomplete, or invalid. That is a number other than the NPI, such as a license or payer-assigned ID, reported with a qualifier for the clinician who supervised the service.

Quick facts

Code
N298 (RARC N298)
Status
Active In use since December 2, 2004.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): Correctable claim data; the patient is not responsible.
Official description
Missing/incomplete/invalid supervising provider secondary identifier.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N298 means

Box 17 can identify a supervising provider (qualifier DQ), with the NPI in 17b. Box 17a offers a place for a secondary identifier, preceded by a qualifier describing it. N298 means the payer expected a supervising secondary ID and it was missing, or the one sent could not be interpreted.

This is a narrow data remark, usually with CARC 16. Supervision itself is not being questioned.

When it tends to appear

  • A Medicaid or other program payer requires a license or program number for supervising clinicians, and your setup does not send one.
  • The qualifier doesn’t match the number type.
  • Box 17a still holds a referring provider’s ID from an earlier version of the claim, even though box 17 now shows the supervisor.
  • The supervisor’s license number changed after renewal, or belongs to another state.

Steps to fix

  1. Confirm whether the payer requires a supervising secondary ID, and what type.
  2. Get the current identifier from the supervising clinician’s credentialing file.
  3. Enter the right qualifier and number in box 17a (or the electronic supervising provider section).
  4. Remove any leftover values that belonged to another role.
  5. Submit a corrected claim with frequency code 7 and the original claim number.

How to prevent it

Handle secondary IDs as payer-specific settings on each clinician’s profile, and keep them off claims for payers that don’t want them. When box 17 changes roles during claim edits, clear box 17a so stale identifiers don’t linger. Tracking remarks by payer, as shown in our CARC and RARC guide, helps confirm whether the fix held.

Codes that may appear with N298

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): Missing or invalid information; N298 identifies the supervising provider's secondary ID.
  • N297 (Missing/incomplete/invalid supervising provider primary identifier.): The supervising provider's NPI is the problem.
  • N287 (Missing/incomplete/invalid referring provider secondary identifier.): The referring provider's secondary identifier is the problem.
  • N754 (Missing/incomplete/invalid Referring Provider or Other Source Qualifier on the 1500 Claim Form.): The referring provider or other source qualifier on the 1500 form is missing or invalid.

N298 FAQ

Where is the supervising secondary ID reported?

Box 17a on the CMS-1500 holds a qualifier and identifier for whichever provider is in box 17. When box 17 uses the DQ qualifier, 17a applies to the supervising provider.

Do most payers need it?

No. Most payers rely on the NPI. N298 generally comes from payers with specific secondary identifier rules.

Can a wrong 17a entry cause N298 even if I don't need it?

Yes. A value with a missing or mismatched qualifier can be rejected. If the payer doesn't need a secondary ID, clear the field.