EOB denial code CO-22: what it means

What it means

The insurer believes another insurance plan should pay before it does, under coordination-of-benefits rules.

Contractual Obligation — an adjustment the provider agreed to by contract. The patient is generally not billed for CO amounts.

Official X12 description

“This care may be covered by another payer per coordination of benefits”

Typical cause

You may have more than one plan (for example, a spouse's plan, a parent's plan, or Medicare), and the insurer thinks another plan is primary.

What to do next

1. 1Confirm which of your plans is primary — your insurer or your employer's HR can tell you the order.
2. 2If the coordination-of-benefits record is wrong, ask the insurer to update it.
3. 3If another plan is genuinely primary, have the claim sent there first, then to this plan as secondary.