Q/A: Would Leaving Box 14 on the 1500 Claim Form Blank Cause Denials?

by  Brandy Brimhall, CPC CMCO CPCO CCCPC CPMA QCC
Feb 6th, 2017 - Reviewed/Updated Feb 8th

Question

We have been leaving box 14 on the 1500 claim form blank for Medicare claims and are getting denials. Could this be why?

Answer

Yes, this could be the reason that you are being denied for Medicare claims. Of course, a complete review of your claims would be necessary in order to determine this for sure, although I can tell you that box 14 is required to be completed by Medicare.

Do note that the Medicare rule for box 14 requires that the date input is the date of initiation of the course of treatment (the date the patient presented for care).

Please see page 9 of the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 26 for further confirmation of rules for completing box 14 for chiropractic claims.

Of course, practices are encouraged to review this manual in detail for specific instructions to properly complete the CMS 1500 for Medicare claims.

About Brandy Brimhall, CPC CMCO CPCO CCCPC CPMA QCC

Brandy is a Certified Professional Coder (CPC), Certified Medical Compliance Officer (CMCO), ChiroCode Certified Chiropractic Professional Coder (CCCPC), a Certified Professional Compliance Officer (CPCO)and a Certified Professional Medical Auditor (CPMA). She is also the President of CHelpDesk Solutions (www.CHelpDesk.com), chiropractic's on-demand Certified Virtual Chiropractic Assistant.

Brandy is a member of the AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders), PMI (Practice Management Institute), and the ACA (American Chiropractic Association).