N179 Remark Code: Payer Requested Information From the Patient
Remark code N179 means the payer has requested additional information from the member - the patient, not the provider - and will reconsider the charges when it arrives. Claims sit in this state when payers need accident questionnaires, other-insurance surveys, student status confirmation, or similar member-supplied details. The risk is that patients ignore payer mail, leaving the claim in limbo until it eventually denies.
Common Causes
- Accident or injury claims where the payer sent the member a questionnaire about how the injury happened (probing for liability or workers' comp coverage)
- Coordination-of-benefits surveys asking the member to confirm or deny other coverage
- Dependent eligibility verification (student status, disability status)
- The member received the request and has not responded
How to Fix N179
- Contact the patient promptly, explain the payer is holding their claim, and tell them exactly what the payer asked them to complete
- Give the patient the payer's member services number and, where possible, the specific form or questionnaire name
- Follow up - set a task to re-check claim status in two to three weeks and re-contact the patient if the payer still shows no response
- Document outreach attempts; if the member never responds and the claim denies, many plans make the balance patient responsibility, and your documentation supports billing them
Frequently Asked Questions
N179 means the payer requested additional information directly from the member - commonly an accident questionnaire or other-coverage survey - and is holding the claim until the patient responds. The charges will be reconsidered once the information arrives.
Contact the patient and get them to respond to the payer's request - the provider cannot usually answer member questionnaires on the patient's behalf. Track the claim, follow up on the patient's response, and document the outreach in case the claim eventually denies for non-response.
Related Denial Codes
Related Resources
Claim adjustment reason codes and remittance advice remark codes are standardized code sets maintained by X12. The explanations on this page are written in our own words for educational purposes, based on public CMS and Medicare contractor documentation. Payer policies vary - always confirm handling with the specific payer's guidance and your contracts.