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N382 Remark Code: Missing or Invalid Patient Identifier

N382 means the patient identifier on the claim, usually the member ID or Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), was missing, incomplete, or invalid, so the payer could not match the claim to the patient's record.

Quick facts

Code
N382 (RARC N382)
Status
Active In use since April 1, 2007.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The claim was rejected or denied for a correctable identification error. The provider fixes the ID and resubmits; the patient is not billed.
Official description
Missing/incomplete/invalid patient identifier.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N382 means

A payer finds a patient by member ID first. If that number is blank, cut short, mistyped, or no longer active, the payer can’t link the claim to anyone. N382 is the remark that says so. It frequently arrives as a front-end rejection, but some payers adjudicate the claim and deny it.

Expect it with CARC 16, or with CARC 31 or 140 when the ID and name can’t be matched.

Common causes

  • A digit or letter was transposed, or a prefix was dropped from a plan ID.
  • The patient changed plans, or the plan reissued IDs, and the old number is still on file.
  • For Medicare, a new MBI was issued (for example after the prior one was compromised), and the claim used the old one.
  • The dependent’s own ID was used where the payer expects the subscriber’s, or vice versa.
  • A Medicaid or managed care plan ID was mixed up with the patient’s ID from another plan.

How to fix it

  1. Run eligibility for the date of service and copy the ID exactly as the payer returns it.
  2. Confirm the patient’s name and birth date match the payer’s record, since a correct ID with a wrong name can still fail.
  3. For Medicare, confirm the current MBI through your eligibility tool or the MAC’s portal. If the patient received a new card, use the new MBI.
  4. Correct box 1a (or the 837P subscriber ID) and resubmit. If the claim was rejected, send a new claim; if it was denied, send a corrected claim with resubmission code 7.
  5. Update the patient’s record so the next claim uses the corrected ID.

How to prevent it

Scan insurance cards at every visit rather than only at the first one, and verify eligibility before each appointment. Save the ID returned by the eligibility response to the account automatically so staff don’t retype it. For more, see our guide to eligibility denials.

Codes that may appear with N382

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): Claim information is missing or invalid; N382 identifies the patient identifier.
  • CO-31 (Patient cannot be identified as our insured.): The patient cannot be identified as the payer's insured.
  • CO-140 (Patient/Insured health identification number and name do not match.): The patient's health ID number and name do not match.
  • N329 (Missing/incomplete/invalid patient birth date.): Used when the patient's birth date is missing or invalid, another key matching field.
  • MA61 (Missing/incomplete/invalid social security number.): Covers a missing or invalid Social Security number.
  • CO-224 (Patient identification compromised by identity theft.): Patient identification compromised by identity theft; identity verification required.

N382 FAQ

Where does the patient's ID go on the CMS-1500?

Box 1a holds the insured's ID number. On the 837P it is the subscriber's member identifier, with a separate patient identifier only when the payer assigns one to dependents.

Can a Medicare MBI change?

Yes. Medicare can issue a new MBI, for example when the old one was compromised. Claims with the old MBI may fail, so verify the current MBI through an eligibility check.

What if the card shows a different ID than eligibility returns?

Use the ID returned by the payer's eligibility system for the date of service and ask the patient for their newest card.