CO-B9Contractual ObligationEligibility
CO-B9 Denial Code: Patient enrolled in hospice
The patient is enrolled in a hospice program and the service is related to the terminal condition.
Why CO-B9 happens
- ●Service related to the hospice diagnosis billed to Medicare Part B instead of the hospice
- ●Unrelated service missing the GW modifier
How to fix a CO-B9 denial
- 1
Determine whether the service relates to the terminal condition
- 2
Bill the hospice if related; append GV/GW modifiers correctly if not
How to prevent it
Check hospice enrollment in eligibility responses and use GV/GW modifiers correctly.
Drowning in CO-B9 denials?
OakClaim works every denial within 48 hours and builds prevention rules so they stop recurring.