CARC Code

8

🟡 Soft Denial

Procedure Inconsistent with Provider Specialty

The service or procedure billed does not match what the provider is credentialed or licensed to perform based on their specialty type. The payer has determined that this provider's taxonomy does not support billing for this specific procedure code.

coding
Resolution: 82%Medium difficulty7-14 days avg

How to resolve this denial

Verify provider taxonomy and correct the procedure code

  1. 1

    Pull the original claim and review the specific field flagged by the RARC code

  2. 2

    Compare claim data against the patient's insurance card and eligibility response

  3. 3

    Correct the identified field(s) in the practice management system

  4. 4

    Resubmit the corrected claim via the payer portal or clearinghouse

  5. 5

    Confirm receipt and track the corrected claim to adjudication

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✓ 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-8 — stats, related codes, appeal template

82%

Recovery Rate

7-14 days

Avg. Resolution

Medium

Difficulty

Occasional

Frequency

Payer-Specific Notes

How major payers handle CARC 8 by specialty.

Aetna

Aetna uses CO-8 when procedure/diagnosis combination fails edit. Check RARC for specific field.

Common 835 Combinations

CARC 8 most often appears with these Group Code + RARC combinations on 835 remittances.

Look up any combination →

Appeal Letter Template

Generic appeal template for CARC 8 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 8 indicating: "The procedure code is inconsistent with the provider type/specialty (taxonomy).." 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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