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N716 Remark Code: Missing Chart

N716 means the payer needed the patient's chart documentation to adjudicate the claim and none was received. The claim is typically denied under CARC 252 or CARC 16 until the chart entries for the date of service are submitted.

Quick facts

Code
N716 (RARC N716)
Status
Active In use since March 1, 2014.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The amount stays with the provider pending the chart. Do not transfer it to the patient.
  • OA (Other Adjustment): Some payers close the line with OA while waiting for records. It still signals a documentation gap, not patient liability.
Official description
Missing chart.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N716 means

When N716 appears, the payer’s system shows that chart documentation was expected and nothing reached the reviewer. This often follows a prepayment review, a records request, or a payer rule that certain services always need chart support. Without the chart, the payer denies the line rather than leave it pending indefinitely.

Most payers report N716 with CARC 252 (documentation required) or CARC 226 (requested information not provided). In dental settings, the chart may be tooth charting rather than a narrative note.

Why the chart goes missing

  • The records request went to a mailbox or fax nobody monitors.
  • Records were sent but not labelled with the claim number or member ID, so the payer could not link them.
  • A release-of-information vendor handled the request and missed the payer’s deadline.
  • The claim was billed before the provider completed the note, leaving nothing to send.

How to fix it

  1. Confirm what the payer asked for and by when, using the request letter or a call to provider services.
  2. Gather the signed chart entries for each date of service on the claim, along with orders or results the policy requires.
  3. Put the claim number and patient identifiers on a cover sheet and on each page.
  4. Submit through the method the payer specifies and keep proof of delivery.
  5. If the claim has already been finally denied, follow the payer’s reopening, reconsideration, or appeal process rather than sending a duplicate claim, which risks a duplicate denial.

How to prevent it

Designate one owner for payer records requests and log each with its due date. Make sure the practice’s correspondence address and fax on file with each payer are current, and ask release-of-information vendors to report every payer request they fulfill.

Codes that may appear with N716

  • CO-252 (An attachment/other documentation is required to adjudicate this claim/service.): Documentation is required to adjudicate; N716 says it is the chart.
  • CO-226 (Information requested from the Billing/Rendering Provider was not provided or not provided timely or was insufficient/incomplete.): The payer requested the chart from the billing or rendering provider and did not get it.
  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): A general 'lacks information' denial clarified by N716.
  • N715 (Incomplete/invalid chart.): The chart arrived but was incomplete or invalid.
  • N729 (Missing patient medical/dental record for this service.): Missing medical or dental record for the service, wording some payers prefer over 'chart'.
  • M127 (Missing patient medical record for this service.): Missing patient medical record, the long-standing Medicare-style equivalent.
  • N401 (Missing periodontal charting.): Missing periodontal charting, the dental-specific variant.

N716 FAQ

How is N716 different from N715?

N716 means nothing was received. N715 means a chart arrived but could not be used. The fix for N716 is to send the records; for N715 it is to correct or complete them.

Where do I send the chart?

Use the address, fax, portal upload, or electronic attachment method in the payer's records request or provider manual. Records sent to a general claims address are often not matched to the claim.

Does N716 affect the patient?

Not directly. The amount is not patient responsibility while the payer waits for records, so do not send the patient a bill for it.