Error report · Service, fee & diagnosis
OHIP error code EQI
Contract characteristics error
What EQI means
The Ministry of Health’s official wording for EQI is: “Contract characteristics error.”
This code appears on your Claims Error Report (downloaded through MCEDT). It means the claim was rejected at submission and was never adjudicated for payment — fix the issue below and resubmit the claim.
How to fix EQI
There is a mismatch with your group's contract or agreement setup. Confirm the contract characteristics registered with the Ministry for the service date, then resubmit.
These codes relate to the fee schedule code, diagnosis code, fee amount, or service limits in the Schedule of Benefits. The fix usually starts with re-reading the code's payment rules — effective dates, age/sex limits, maximums, and combinations — for the date of service.
Related codes
- EP7Code must be billed alone
- EQNRegistration Usage Error on Service Date
- ESFNot eligible to bill
- ESHNot Eligible For Blank HN
- ESNInvalid Blank HN Claim - No HN required for FSC
- PA1Invalid PA Service - Physician Assistant (PA) Pilot claim submissions may contain one or more PA Tracking FSC's but other OHIP insured service FSCs are not allowed on the same claim.
- PA4PA Registration on Service Date Error
- PAANo Initial Fee Previously Paid - To ensure the smoking cessation initial discussion fee (E079) has been paid within 365 days prior to the smoking cessation counseling fee (Q042) or the smoking cessation follow up fee (K039)
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Code meaning per Ontario Ministry of Health — Error Report Rejection Conditions / Error Codes (December 2022). The suggested action is general information for Ontario physicians, not billing, legal, or tax advice — codes and rules change, so verify against the current Ministry of Health documents before relying on a claim.