How do I resolve a CO-13 denial?

Verify date of service billed Correct date of service if incorrect and resubmit as a new claim See full Medicare contractor resolution steps at tryarceum.com.

Can I appeal a CO-13 denial?

Yes. Most CO-13 denials can be appealed within 60-180 days depending on payer. This is appealable if the service date is correct and preceded the actual date of death, or if the payer's date of death information is inaccurate. Use our free tool to generate an appeal letter.

CARC Code

13

🟡 Soft Denial

Service Date After Death

The claim was denied because the service was billed with a date that occurs after the patient's recorded date of death. The payer's system shows the patient was deceased before the service was supposedly rendered.

coding

Resolution: 82%Medium difficulty7-14 days avg

How to resolve this denial

Which payer denied this claim?

▶✓ Pre-action checklist — verify before contacting the payer

Review the full remittance advice (ERA/EOB) for additional RARC codes that explain the denial.
Verify the claim was submitted with correct patient eligibility and benefit information.
Check if this denial applies to a specific line item or the entire claim.

▶More about CO-13 — stats, related codes, appeal template

82%

Recovery Rate

7-14 days

Avg. Resolution

Medium

Difficulty

Rare

Frequency

Payer-Specific Notes

How major payers handle CARC 13 by specialty.

UnitedHealthcare

Review UHC's online claim status tool for additional detail on this adjustment.

Appeal Letter Template

Generic appeal template for CARC 13 denials.

We are submitting a formal appeal for claim [CLAIM_NUMBER] for patient [PATIENT_NAME], date of service [DOS]. This claim was denied/adjusted with CARC 13 indicating: "The date of service is inconsistent with the admission date.." We have reviewed the claim and are providing the attached documentation to support reconsideration. [SUPPORTING_DOCUMENTATION]. Please reconsider payment per the terms of our contract.

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