CO-27
CO · Contractual Obligation
CO-27 Denial Code: Service provided after the patient's coverage ended
The date of service falls after the patient's coverage ended with this payer. Verify eligibility for the exact date and bill the active payer or the patient.
- Group code
- CO - Contractual Obligation
- Code type
- CARC
- Billable to patient?
- Write-off if billed as CO; patient responsibility if billed as PR-27
- Appealable?
- Only with proof of active coverage
- Category
- Coverage & Benefits
- Common pairing
- N30
On a remittance
CAS*CO*27*125.00On a paper EOB it shows as CO-27.What CO-27 means
CO-27 means the payer shows the patient's coverage as terminated before the service date. Often the patient changed plans, or the termination date in the payer's system is wrong. Re-verify eligibility for the exact date of service and route the claim to the active payer, or bill the patient if there was truly no coverage. Depending on the payer, code 27 may be issued as PR-27 (patient responsibility) rather than CO when the patient is liable for post-termination services.
Common causes
- The patient's coverage ended before the date of service.
- The payer has an incorrect termination date on file.
- The patient moved to a new plan that should have been billed.
How to fix it
- Re-verify eligibility for the exact date of service.
- If coverage was actually active, appeal with proof of eligibility for that date.
- If the patient changed plans, bill the correct active payer; otherwise bill the patient.
How to prevent it
- Run eligibility on the date of service, not just at scheduling.
- Re-verify coverage for recurring patients.
- Act on termination dates surfaced during eligibility checks.
Only with proof of active coverageAppeal with proof of active eligibility for the date of service if the termination date is wrong. If coverage genuinely ended, bill the active payer or the patient instead.