Error code
VHB — Health number not needed for this fee code
Health number not allowed
The fee code is for a non-encounter service, not tied to a patient visit, and the claim included a health number.
What to do: Confirm the fee code, then remove the health number and patient details and resubmit as a non-encounter claim.
- Code
- VHB
- Description
- Health number not needed for this fee code
Explanation
Updated October 26, 2026
VHB means a health number was sent with a fee code that doesn't take one (a non-encounter service). Remove the health number and resubmit.
What it means
VHB means the fee code billed is for a non-encounter service, a service not tied to a patient visit, and the claim included a health number. The Ministry rejects these: no health number is required, or accepted, for that fee code.
Common causes
- The billing software added the patient's health number by default
- A non-encounter fee code was billed from inside a patient's chart
How to fix it
- Check that the fee code is the one you meant to bill.
- If it is, remove the health number and patient details and resubmit it as a non-encounter claim.
- If you meant to bill a patient service, correct the fee code instead.
- Resubmit the corrected claim. Resubmit within three months of the service date if you can. If that window has passed but the claim was first submitted on time, use the Ministry's stale-dated resubmission process: one stale-dated claim file through MCEDT, then an email to [email protected] with the Error Reports showing the original submission date.
Don't resubmit if
- The claim still carries a health number with a non-encounter fee code.
How APEX handles it
APEX reads your error reports and remittance advice from MCEDT and lists claims rejected with this code in its Correction Centre for you to correct and resubmit. See how APEX works · Pricing