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N903 Remark Code: HRA Incomplete or Invalid

N903 means the payer received a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) but found it incomplete or invalid. Required questions, dates, signatures, or the payer's specific format may be missing, so the HRA did not satisfy the payer's requirement for the service.

Quick facts

Code
N903 (RARC N903)
Status
Active In use since July 1, 2024.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The amount denied because the HRA did not meet requirements. It stays with the provider, not the patient.
Official description
Incomplete/Invalid Health Risk Assessment (HRA).
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N903 means

N903 is the sister code to N902. With N902, the HRA is absent. With N903, the payer has one in hand but cannot accept it.

The payer’s requirements define what a valid HRA looks like. Medicare, Medicaid programs, and Medicare Advantage plans each set their own minimum content, and some require their own form. An HRA that satisfies one payer may fail another’s review.

Common causes

  • Required domains were skipped, often because the patient left pages blank.
  • The form was an internal questionnaire missing elements the payer requires.
  • It was completed too long before the service to count.
  • The patient’s name, ID, or date does not match the claim.
  • Clinician review or signature was required and is missing.

How to fix it

  1. Compare the HRA to the payer’s requirements item by item.
  2. Complete the missing items with the patient if the payer permits updates, dating them accurately.
  3. Resubmit the corrected HRA with a reprocessing request or a corrected claim, as the payer directs.
  4. Appeal if the HRA was actually complete and the payer overlooked sections.

How to prevent it

Adopt an HRA format that covers each payer’s required content, and have staff review it for blank sections before the patient leaves.

Codes that may appear with N903

  • CO-251 (The attachment/other documentation that was received was incomplete or deficient.): The attachment was incomplete or deficient; N903 says it is the HRA.
  • CO-272 (Coverage/program guidelines were not met.): Program or coverage guidelines were not met.
  • N902 (Missing Health Risk Assessment (HRA).): The HRA was not received at all.
  • N705 (Incomplete/invalid documentation.): Documentation is incomplete or invalid, without naming the document.

N903 FAQ

What makes an HRA incomplete?

Unanswered required sections, such as functional status, psychosocial risks, or behavioral risks, are the usual cause. Some payers also require the clinician to review and sign it.

What makes an HRA invalid?

It may be dated outside the allowed window, completed for a different patient or plan year, or not on the payer's required form.

Can the patient redo the assessment?

If the payer allows it, a new or completed HRA may be accepted. It must reflect the actual date it was completed; do not backdate it.