# Claim edit: Invalid patient status code

> Stedi now rejects 837I institutional claims that contain an invalid patient status code.

Published Apr 28, 2026

Product: Claim edits

Stedi now rejects [837I institutional](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/submit-institutional-claims) claims that contain an invalid patient status code.

## How the edit works

In an institutional claim, the patient status code describes the patient's condition at the end of the claim's billed period. It tells the payer whether the patient was discharged, transferred, or still admitted.

| **Claim type**                                                                          | **JSON API field**                                                                                                                                                                                                 | **X12 element**                                                   |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [837I institutional](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/submit-institutional-claims) | [`claimInformation.claimCodeInformation.patientStatusCode`](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/api-reference/post-healthcare-institutional-claims#body.claimInformation.claimCodeInformation.patientStatusCode) | `CL1-03` (Patient Status Code) of Loop `2300` (Claim Information) |

The patient status code must be a [valid two-digit value](https://med.noridianmedicare.com/web/jfa/topics/claim-submission/patient-discharge-status-codes) from the UB-04 FL17 code set. If it isn’t a valid code, 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.

```jsonc
{
  "errors": [
    {
      "code": "33",
      "description": "Invalid Patient Status Code. Patient status codes must be submitted as two numeric digits and must be a valid discharge status code. The submitted status code is not valid, 00. 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>234*[DATE]*U*[AMOUNT]********Invalid Patient Status Code. Patient status codes must be submitted as two numeric digits and must be a valid discharge status code. The submitted status code is not valid, 00. Correct and resubmit.~
```