CO 226 Denial Code: Description, RARC Pairings, and How to Fix It

CO 226 means the payer asked the billing or rendering provider for information and did not receive it, did not receive it in time, or found what arrived incomplete. The CO prefix stands for Contractual Obligation, so the provider absorbs the adjustment and cannot bill the patient for it. Key Takeaways This guide covers CARC […]
CO-8 Denial Code: The Procedure Code Is Inconsistent With the Provider Type or Specialty (Taxonomy)

A CO-8 denial code fires when the procedure you billed doesn’t match the provider type or specialty, the taxonomy, that the payer has on file for that NPI. Because the adjustment carries group code CO, Contractual Obligation, the balance becomes your write-off and you can’t bill the patient for it. The mismatch usually sits in […]
POS 31 in Medical Billing: The Complete 2026 Guide to Skilled Nursing Facility Claims

POS 31 is the Place of Service code for a Skilled Nursing Facility. It’s a two-digit code you report on professional claims, including the CMS-1500, to show that care was delivered to a patient during a covered Medicare Part A stay. Place of service 31 applies when the patient has an active Part A benefit […]
Cryotherapy CPT Codes: The Complete 2026 Billing Guide for Every Code Family

There Is No Single Cryotherapy CPT Code Cryotherapy describes a technique. The cryotherapy CPT code you report follows the tissue you destroyed. Liquid nitrogen, CO2 slush, and argon gas all route through the same code families, so the cold agent never picks the code for you. Five families cover most skin cases: premalignant lesions, benign […]
Account Receivable in Medical Billing: The 2026 Guide for Healthcare Providers

Your practice earned the money weeks ago. The visit happened. The claim went out. The cash still isn’t in your account, and that gap between earned and collected is where revenue slips away. Account receivable in medical billing is the revenue a healthcare provider has earned for services already delivered but has not yet collected […]
CPT Code 78452: The 2026 Billing Guide to SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Imaging

What Is CPT Code 78452, and Which Modality Does It Cover CPT code 78452 reports myocardial perfusion imaging using SPECT technology, performed as multiple studies, both rest and stress, to evaluate blood flow to the heart muscle and identify areas of reduced perfusion. Physicians order this study to diagnose coronary artery disease, evaluate damage after […]
CPT Code 99401 Billing Guide: Documentation, Medicare Rules, Modifiers, and Denials

Why CPT 99401 Is Harder to Bill Than It Looks A provider who orders preventive counseling usually knows the visit involved risk factor reduction, not treatment of an active illness. The 99401 cpt code itself is not the hard part. What is hard is whether the payer accepts it, whether the note proves a separate […]
Stress Test CPT Codes: The 2026 Billing Guide for Exercise, Echo, and Nuclear Cardiac Testing

What Is a Cardiac Stress Test, and Which CPT Code Applies to Each Type Stress test CPT codes fall into three distinct families, depending on how the heart is stressed and what the team measures: exercise or pharmacologic ECG monitoring under 93015 through 93018, stress echocardiography under 93350 through 93352, and nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging […]
How the Best Medical Claims Virtual Assistant Can Transform Your Practice’s Revenue Cycle
In today’s fast-paced healthcare industry, managing medical claims with speed and precision is more important than ever. Healthcare providers face an increasing load of administrative work that often takes time away from patient care. This is where the best medical claims virtual assistant becomes not just a helpful addition, but a strategic advantage. One O’Seven […]
Why AR Follow-Up Is the Backbone of Your Medical Billing Services?
In the world of healthcare administration, there’s a silent engine that keeps your revenue cycle moving forward—AR Follow Up. It’s not glamorous. It’s not always visible. But it’s absolutely critical to the success of your medical billing services. Without a strong AR strategy in place, practices face increased denials, delayed payments, and declining cash flow. […]