N302 Remark Code: Other Procedure Date Invalid

What N302 means

An inpatient stay can involve several procedures. The principal one is reported first; the rest are “other procedures,” each with an ICD-10-PCS code and the date it was performed. N302 says one of those secondary procedure dates was absent or did not pass the payer’s edits.

It generally comes with CARC 16. Occasionally, when the procedure data prevents grouping, the payer may use a grouping-related reason such as CARC A8 as well.

What goes wrong with secondary procedure dates

Missing on later entries. Coders complete the principal procedure date but skip dates for additional procedures.

Outside the stay. A procedure dated before admission or after discharge, often from a separate encounter or a pre-admission test coded into the stay.

Misaligned pairs. When procedures are reordered, codes shift but dates don’t, leaving each date beside the wrong code.

Format and value errors. Impossible dates or dates in the wrong format for the payer.

How to fix it

1. Review each other procedure code and date on the claim.
2. Compare them to operative notes, procedure logs, and bedside procedure documentation.
3. Correct the dates and confirm every one falls between admission and discharge.
4. If a procedure belongs to a different encounter, remove it from this claim.
5. Submit a replacement claim with frequency code 7.

How to prevent it

Have your coding software require a date for every procedure code before the abstract can be finalized. A second check comparing all procedure dates to the admission and discharge dates will catch most outliers. For payers that return N302 often, review a sample of cases with the coding team to find the pattern, as described in our CARC and RARC analysis guide.