# Claim edit: Discharge hour on non-final institutional claims

> Stedi now rejects 837I institutional claims that include a discharge hour but use a claim frequency code that indicates the patient has not been discharged.

Published Apr 7, 2026

Product: Claim edits

Stedi now rejects [837I institutional claims](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/submit-institutional-claims) that include a discharge hour but use a claim frequency code that indicates the patient has not been discharged.

## How the edit works

In institutional claims, the discharge hour tells the payer when the patient left the facility.

**Discharge hour**

| **Claim type**     | **JSON API field**                                                                                                                                                                                         | **X12 element**                                                               |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 837I institutional | [`claimInformation.claimDateInformation.dischargeHour`](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/api-reference/post-healthcare-institutional-claims#body.claimInformation.claimDateInformation.dischargeHour) | `DTP-03` (Discharge Hour, qualifier `096`) of Loop `2300` (Claim Information) |

Institutional claims also include a claim frequency code that tells the payer where the claim falls in a patient's billing cycle.

**Claim frequency code**

| **Claim type**     | **JSON API field**                                                                                                                                                         | **X12 element**                                                           |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 837I institutional | [`claimInformation.claimFrequencyCode`](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/api-reference/post-healthcare-institutional-claims#body.claimInformation.claimFrequencyCode) | `CLM05-03` (Claim Frequency Type Code) of Loop `2300` (Claim Information) |

Some claim frequency codes, such as `2` (Interim – First Claim), indicate the patient is still receiving care and has not yet been discharged. Claims with these frequency codes are called non-final claims.

A discharge hour should not be included on non-final claims. If it is, the payer may reject the claim.

This [edit](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/claim-edits-and-repairs#edits) catches the issue before the claim reaches the payer. It prevents payer rejections, which are slower and delay payment for the provider.

## Rejection errors

If you submit a claim using Stedi's [Claim Submission API endpoints](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/intro-to-claim-submission#api-claim-submission) and the claim fails the edit, you'll get back an error response in real time. The response includes details in the `errors` array.

The error message references the claim’s bill type. This is a combination of the claim’s [facility type code](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/api-reference/post-healthcare-institutional-claims#body.claimInformation.placeOfServiceCode) and claim frequency code.

For example, bill type `112` indicates facility type `11` (Hospital inpatient – general) with frequency code `2` (Interim – First Claim).

```jsonc
{
  "errors": [
    {
      "code": "33",
      "description": "Invalid Discharge Date/hour. Discharge information should not be present for the submitted bill type 112. These fields are only used for final inpatient claims. Correct and resubmit.",
      "followupAction": "Please Correct and Resubmit"
    }
  ]
}
```

If you submit a claim using [SFTP](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/submit-claims-sftp-connection) and the claim fails the edit, Stedi will reject the claim with a [277CA claim acknowledgment](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/claim-responses-overview#277ca-claim-acknowledgment). The acknowledgment will include a related [claim status category code](https://x12.org/codes/claim-status-category-codes), [claim status code](https://x12.org/codes/claim-status-codes), and error message.

```jsx
STC*A7>190*[DATE]*U*[AMOUNT]********Invalid Discharge Date/hour. Discharge information should not be present for the submitted bill type 112. These fields are only used for final inpatient claims. Correct and resubmit.~
```