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N387 Remark Code: Bill the Other Insurer Yourself

N387 is an informational alert. The patient has another insurer that may pay supplemental benefits, but this payer did not forward the claim, so you need to submit it to the other insurer yourself.

Quick facts

Code
N387 (RARC N387)
Status
Active In use since April 1, 2007; last modified March 1, 2009.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • PR (Patient Responsibility): Remaining patient responsibility amounts may be covered by the supplemental insurer. They stay on the patient's account until that insurer processes the claim.
Official description
Alert: Submit this claim to the patient's other insurer for potential payment of supplemental benefits. We did not forward the claim information.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N387 means

Many patients have a supplemental plan, such as a Medicare supplement or a secondary commercial plan, that pays some or all of what the primary leaves behind. Sometimes the primary automatically sends the claim to that plan. N387 tells you that didn’t happen here. The payer knows there may be supplemental benefits, but you have to submit the claim to the other insurer yourself.

The alert usually shows up on lines with PR amounts such as deductible (CARC 1) or coinsurance (CARC 2).

What to do

  1. Confirm the other coverage and get the plan’s claim address or payer ID.
  2. Build the secondary claim with the primary payer’s paid amount and adjustments. See eligibility and COB denials for what the secondary needs.
  3. Submit promptly, since the supplemental plan has its own filing limits.
  4. Hold the patient statement for the covered amounts until the supplemental plan responds.
  5. Bill the patient for anything the supplemental plan leaves unpaid.

If you regularly receive N387 for the same supplemental plan, set up your system to automatically create the secondary claim when the primary remittance posts.

Codes that may appear with N387

  • PR-1 (Deductible Amount): Deductible amount the supplemental plan may cover.
  • PR-2 (Coinsurance Amount): Coinsurance amount that may be billed to the other insurer.
  • MA18 (Alert: The claim information is also being forwarded to the patient's supplemental insurer.): The opposite alert: the claim was forwarded to the patient's supplemental insurer.
  • N177 (Alert: We did not send this claim to patient's other insurer.): An alert that the claim was not sent to the other insurer because it indicated no additional payment.
  • N89 (Alert: Payment information for this claim has been forwarded to more than one other payer, but format limitations permit only one of the secondary…): An alert that payment information was forwarded to more than one other payer, with format limitations.

N387 FAQ

Why didn't the payer forward the claim?

Automatic crossovers only happen when the payers have an arrangement. When none exists, or the crossover fails, the payer uses N387 to tell you to bill the other plan directly.

What do I send to the other insurer?

A claim for the services with this payer's payment and adjustment information, either as electronic COB data or with the remittance attached, based on the other insurer's rules.

Should I bill the patient first?

Usually wait until the supplemental insurer processes the claim, then bill any remaining patient balance.