OA 291 denial code
Claim adjustment reason code 291. Often reported as OA 291 or CO 291.
Medical plan forwarded to dental plan
Unofficial reference. This is our own plain-English explanation, not the official code text. Payer rules differ. Verify with the payer and the official X12 code list. AlphaPrefix is not affiliated with X12, CMS or any payer. Data last updated .
What 291 means
The medical plan found no benefit for the service and forwarded the claim to the patient's dental plan.
The medical payer decided this is a dental service and passed the claim to the dental carrier itself. Code 270 is the version where the medical plan does not forward and you bill dental yourself.
The next payment or denial should come from the dental plan.
Group codes seen with 291
On a remittance, 291 comes after a group code. These are the ones it is most often reported with:
- OA 291 (Other Adjustment): Used for adjustments that are neither the provider's contractual write-off nor the patient's share. It often appears with coordination of benefits, for example when another payer already paid.
- CO 291 (Contractual Obligation): The provider's side of the ledger. The reduction comes from the payer contract or a rule the provider has to follow, and the patient normally cannot be billed for it.
The payer chooses the group code for each adjustment, so the same reason code can appear with another group code on your remittance. Read the two together. More about group codes.
Common causes
- A dental procedure was billed to the medical plan.
- The payer handles both medical and dental coverage and routes claims between them.
- The service is excluded under medical and covered under dental.
What to do next
- Record that the claim was forwarded to the dental plan.
- Track the dental plan's response and follow up if it does not arrive.
- Send the claim to the dental plan yourself only if it confirms it did not get it.
Related codes
- 270 (reason code) Medical plan: bill the dental plan
- 290 (reason code) Dental plan forwarded to medical plan
Source
Official wording: X12 Claim Adjustment Reason Codes list. The explanation on this page is our own plain-English wording, not the X12 text.
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