Our editorial policy is the set of rules we follow to write, check and correct guides on Medical Billing 101. We check every code definition, rule and deadline against an official source before it goes on a page reviewed under this policy. We quote code wording word for word, label examples as illustrative, and show the date each page was last reviewed.
Key takeaways
– Code wording comes straight from the official X12 code lists, quoted word for word.
– Medicare rules link to the CMS manual or Medicare contractor (MAC) page they come from.
– We don’t reproduce AMA CPT code descriptors, and we don’t publish numbers we can’t source.
– Each reviewed page shows a “Last reviewed” date. You can report errors to contact@medicalbilling101.com.
– Our content is educational. It isn’t legal, compliance or billing advice for your practice.
Written by Manikandan. Last reviewed: 3 October 2026.
Who writes our content
Medical Billing 101 is a free educational site for US medical billing and coding staff. Pages are written or reviewed by Manikandan, the site’s author. The About page describes his background. We don’t list reviewers or credentials that we can’t show.
We use software tools, including AI writing assistants, to help draft and check pages. A tool’s output is never treated as a source. Every fact on a page reviewed under this policy has to trace back to one of the official sources below.
Which sources we use
We rely on the organizations that publish the codes and rules:
| Topic | Source we check | How we use it |
|---|---|---|
| Claim adjustment reason codes (CARCs) and group codes | X12 Claim Adjustment Reason Codes and X12 Group Codes | Official wording, quoted word for word, with the list version we checked |
| Remittance advice remark codes (RARCs) | X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes | Official wording, quoted word for word |
| Medicare claims rules | CMS Medicare Claims Processing Manual and other CMS pages | Rules and deadlines, cited to the chapter and section |
| Medicare contractor guidance | MAC websites such as Noridian | Contractor-specific steps, named as that contractor’s guidance |
| CPT code set | American Medical Association (AMA) | How CPT works and is updated. We don’t copy code descriptors |
When a source is a commercial payer’s policy, we name the payer. We don’t present one payer’s rule as a national rule.
How we check facts
- Every claim gets a source. Each definition, deadline, form number and payer rule has to match an official source, and we link to it.
- Official wording is quoted exactly. X12 code descriptions and other quoted passages are copied word for word, inside quotation marks. Our own plain-English explanations sit outside the quotes.
- No unsourced numbers. We don’t publish statistics, denial rates or timelines unless an official source states them. If we can’t find official data, we say so rather than estimate.
- Examples are labelled. Worked examples and dollar amounts are marked as illustrative. They show how a rule works; they aren’t real claims.
- We keep a check log. For our denial-code guides we record which source each fact was checked against and the date of the code list we used.
What we don’t publish
- AMA CPT descriptors. CPT code descriptions are copyrighted by the AMA. We describe what a code is used for in our own words and point readers to licensed CPT sources.
- Guesses presented as rules. Where payers differ, we say the rule varies and tell you what to check.
- Promises about outcomes. We don’t say an appeal or a fix will work. Results depend on the payer, the claim and the records.
Review dates and updates
Pages reviewed under this policy show a “Last reviewed” date. Last reviewed means the date we last checked the page against its sources. Where it matters, we also name the code list version we checked, for example the X12 list’s update date. Official code lists and manuals are updated over time. We recheck a page against its sources whenever we revise it, and the date shows when that last happened. Some older articles don’t carry a “Last reviewed” date yet. We’re bringing them under this policy as we review them.
Corrections
If you think something on Medical Billing 101 is wrong or out of date, email contact@medicalbilling101.com. Please include the page and the source you’re relying on. We check the report against the official source. If the page is wrong, we correct it and update its “Last reviewed” date. We don’t silently change the meaning of a page without checking the source first.
Educational use only
Our content is for education. It isn’t legal, compliance, medical or billing advice for your practice. Payer contracts and policies differ, so always confirm with the payer, your compliance team or a qualified professional before you bill or appeal. See our full disclaimer, which also explains how affiliate links work on this site, and our contact page.