CARC Code

234

🔴 Hard Denial

Procedure Not Paid Separately

The procedure you billed is included in the payment for another service and will not be reimbursed as a stand-alone charge. The insurance company considers this procedure bundled with or incidental to another procedure already paid.

coding
Resolution: 35%Hard difficulty21-45 days avg

How to resolve this denial

✓ Pre-action checklist — verify before contacting the payer
  1. Review the full remittance advice (ERA/EOB) for additional RARC codes that explain the denial.

  2. Verify the claim was submitted with correct patient eligibility and benefit information.

  3. Check if this denial applies to a specific line item or the entire claim.

More about CO-234 — stats, related codes, appeal template

35%

Recovery Rate

21-45 days

Avg. Resolution

Hard

Difficulty

Occasional

Frequency

Payer-Specific Notes

How major payers handle CARC 234 by specialty.

Blue Cross Blue Shield

BCBS requires appeal submission within 180 days for most plans.

Common 835 Combinations

CARC 234 most often appears with these Group Code + RARC combinations on 835 remittances.

Look up any combination →

Appeal Letter Template

Generic appeal template for CARC 234 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 234 indicating: "This procedure is not paid separately.." 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.

Generate a personalized appeal letter →

Need to resolve this denial?

Get a step-by-step resolution plan with payer-specific guidance and appeal letter generation.

Resolve this denial →
Was this helpful?