🇺🇸English
HL7 IHE PAM Message Parser and Explainer
Overview
This skill parses and explains HL7 v2.5 IHE PAM (Patient Administration Management) messages - the standard healthcare interoperability format for patient administration events. The parser identifies message types, extracts segments and fields, validates structure according to IHE PAM 2.10 specifications, and provides human-readable explanations.
When to use this skill:
- Parse and explain any HL7 ADT message (raw HL7 text)
- Identify HL7 message type and event code (ADT^A01, ADT^A02, etc.)
- Extract and label all segments and fields (MSH, EVN, PID, PV1, PV2)
- Validate HL7 message structure and required fields
- Understand IHE PAM business rules and field mappings
- Debug HL7 message issues or data quality problems
- Document HL7 message examples with explanations
HL7 v2.5 Message Format
HL7 messages use specific delimiters:
Field delimiter: | (pipe)
Component delimiter: ^ (caret)
Repetition delimiter: ~ (tilde)
Escape character: \ (backslash)
Subcomponent delimiter: & (ampersand)
Basic Structure :
MSH|^~\&|SendingApp|SendingFacility|ReceivingApp|ReceivingFacility|Timestamp||MessageType|MessageControlId|ProcessingId|VersionId
EVN|EventTypeCode|RecordedDateTime|...
PID|SetId||PatientId||PatientName||BirthDate|Sex|...
PV1|SetId|PatientClass|AssignedPatientLocation|...
Segment Terminators : Each segment ends with carriage return (\r) or newline (\n)
IHE PAM Message Types
ADT Messages (Admit, Discharge, Transfer)
ADT^A01 - Admit/Visit Notification
Purpose : Patient admission to inpatient care or registration
Required Segments :
- MSH (Message Header)
- EVN (Event Type)
- PID (Patient Identification)
- PV1 (Patient Visit)
Example :
MSH|^~\&|HEXAFLUX|CHU_PARIS|TARGET|DEST|20260122140000||ADT^A01^ADT_A01|MSG001|P|2.5
EVN|A01|20260122140000|||USER001
PID|1||PAT12345^^^CHU_PARIS^PI||DUPONT^JEAN^^M.||19750315|M|||15 RUE DE LA PAIX^^PARIS^^75001^FRA||(33)612345678
PV1|1|I|CHU_PARIS^CARDIO^LIT_001^CHU_PARIS||||PR_MARTIN^MARTIN^SOPHIE|||CARDIO||||||||||VIS20260122001|||||||||||||||||||||||||20260122140000
Explanation :
- Event : A01 (Patient Admission)
- Patient : DUPONT JEAN (M.), born 15/03/1975
- Patient ID : PAT12345
- Visit : VIS20260122001
- Location : CHU_PARIS, Cardiology, Bed LIT_001
- Admission : 22/01/2026 14:00:00
- Patient Class : I (Inpatient)
- Attending : Dr. MARTIN SOPHIE
ADT^A02 - Transfer a Patient
Purpose : Patient transfer between units, rooms, or services
Required Segments :
- MSH, EVN, PID, PV1
- PV2 (optional but recommended for prior location)
Example :
MSH|^~\&|HEXAFLUX|CHU_PARIS|TARGET|DEST|20260123090000||ADT^A02^ADT_A02|MSG002|P|2.5
EVN|A02|20260123090000|||USER002
PID|1||PAT12345^^^CHU_PARIS^PI||DUPONT^JEAN^^M.||19750315|M
PV1|1|I|CHU_PARIS^NEURO^LIT_102^CHU_PARIS||||PR_DURAND^DURAND^PAUL|||NEURO||||||||||VIS20260122001
PV2||||||||||||||||||||||CHU_PARIS^CARDIO^LIT_001^CHU_PARIS
Explanation :
- Event : A02 (Patient Transfer)
- Patient : PAT12345 (DUPONT JEAN)
- From : Cardiology, Bed LIT_001 (PV2-1: prior location)
- To : Neurology, Bed LIT_102 (PV1-3: assigned location)
- Transfer Time : 23/01/2026 09:00:00
ADT^A03 - Discharge a Patient
Purpose : Patient discharge from hospital
Required Segments :
Example :
MSH|^~\&|HEXAFLUX|CHU_PARIS|TARGET|DEST|20260125180000||ADT^A03^ADT_A03|MSG003|P|2.5
EVN|A03|20260125180000|||USER003
PID|1||PAT12345^^^CHU_PARIS^PI||DUPONT^JEAN^^M.||19750315|M
PV1|1|I|CHU_PARIS^CARDIO^LIT_001^CHU_PARIS||||PR_MARTIN^MARTIN^SOPHIE|||CARDIO||||||||||VIS20260122001|||||||||||||||||||||||||||20260125180000|||||HOME
Explanation :
- Event : A03 (Patient Discharge)
- Patient : PAT12345 (DUPONT JEAN)
- Discharge Time : 25/01/2026 18:00:00 (PV1-45)
- Discharge Disposition : HOME (PV1-36)
- Visit : VIS20260122001
ADT^A04 - Register a Patient
Purpose : Pre-admission or outpatient registration
Required Segments :
ADT^A05 - Pre-admit a Patient
Purpose : Pre-admission notification
ADT^A06 - Change Outpatient to Inpatient
Purpose : Convert outpatient visit to inpatient admission
ADT^A07 - Change Inpatient to Outpatient
Purpose : Convert inpatient admission to outpatient visit
ADT^A08 - Update Patient Information
Purpose : Update patient demographics
Example :
MSH|^~\&|HEXAFLUX|CHU_PARIS|TARGET|DEST|20260122150000||ADT^A08^ADT_A08|MSG004|P|2.5
EVN|A08|20260122150000|||USER001
PID|1||PAT12345^^^CHU_PARIS^PI||DUPONT^JEAN^^M.||19750315|M|||15 RUE DE LA PAIX^^PARIS^^75001^FRA||(33)612345678|||||||1234567890123||FRA
PV1|1|O||||||||||||||||||||VIS20260122001
Explanation :
- Event : A08 (Update Patient Information)
- Patient : PAT12345 demographics updated
- Updated Fields : Address, phone, national identifier (NIR)
ADT^A11 - Cancel Admit
Purpose : Cancel a previous admission
ADT^A12 - Cancel Transfer
Purpose : Cancel a previous transfer
ADT^A13 - Cancel Discharge
Purpose : Cancel a previous discharge
Segment Definitions
MSH - Message Header (Required)
Purpose : Message metadata and routing information
Field Structure :
MSH|^~\&|SendingApp|SendingFacility|ReceivingApp|ReceivingFacility|Timestamp||MessageType^EventCode^MessageStructure|MessageControlId|ProcessingId|VersionId
Key Fields :
- MSH-3: Sending Application
- MSH-4: Sending Facility
- MSH-5: Receiving Application
- MSH-6: Receiving Facility
- MSH-7: Date/Time of Message (YYYYMMDDHHmmss)
- MSH-9: Message Type (ADT^A01^ADT_A01)
- MSH-10: Message Control ID (unique identifier)
- MSH-11: Processing ID (P=Production, T=Training, D=Debugging)
- MSH-12: Version ID (2.5)
EVN - Event Type (Required)
Purpose : Event-specific information
Field Structure :
EVN|EventTypeCode|RecordedDateTime|EventDateTime|EventReasonCode|OperatorId
Key Fields :
- EVN-1: Event Type Code (A01, A02, A03, etc.)
- EVN-2: Recorded Date/Time (when event was recorded)
- EVN-3: Event Occurred Date/Time (when event actually occurred)
- EVN-5: Operator ID (user who triggered the event)
PID - Patient Identification (Required)
Purpose : Patient demographic information
Field Structure (30+ fields):
PID|SetId||PatientId^^^AssigningAuthority^IdType~AltId||LastName^FirstName^MiddleName^Suffix^Prefix||BirthDate|Sex|PatientAlias|Race|PatientAddress||PhoneHome|PhoneBusiness|PrimaryLanguage|MaritalStatus|Religion|PatientAccountNumber|SSN|DriverLicense|MotherIdentifier|EthnicGroup|BirthPlace|MultipleBirth|BirthOrder|Citizenship|VeteranStatus|Nationality|DeathDateTime|DeathIndicator
Key Fields :
- PID-1: Set ID
- PID-3: Patient Identifier List (PatientId^^^Facility^PI)
- PID-5: Patient Name (LastName^FirstName^MiddleName^Suffix^Prefix)
- PID-7: Date of Birth (YYYYMMDD)
- PID-8: Sex (M/F/O/U)
- PID-11: Patient Address (Street^^City^^PostalCode^Country)
- PID-13: Phone Number - Home
- PID-14: Phone Number - Business
- PID-22: Ethnic Group
- PID-29: Death Date and Time
- PID-30: Death Indicator (Y/N)
PV1 - Patient Visit (Required)
Purpose : Visit/encounter information
Field Structure (52 fields):
PV1|SetId|PatientClass|AssignedLocation^Room^Bed^Facility|AdmissionType|PreadmitNumber|PriorLocation|AttendingDoctor^LastName^FirstName|ReferringDoctor|ConsultingDoctor|HospitalService|TemporaryLocation|PreadmitTestIndicator|ReadmissionIndicator|AdmitSource|AmbulatoryStatus|VIPIndicator|AdmittingDoctor|PatientType|VisitNumber|FinancialClass
Key Fields :
- PV1-1: Set ID
- PV1-2: Patient Class (I=Inpatient, O=Outpatient, E=Emergency, R=Recurring)
- PV1-3: Assigned Patient Location (Facility^Service^Room^Bed)
- PV1-4: Admission Type (E=Emergency, R=Routine, etc.)
- PV1-6: Prior Patient Location (for transfers)
- PV1-7: Attending Doctor (DoctorId^LastName^FirstName)
- PV1-10: Hospital Service
- PV1-19: Visit Number (unique visit identifier)
- PV1-36: Discharge Disposition (HOME, SNF, EXP, etc.)
- PV1-44: Admit Date/Time
- PV1-45: Discharge Date/Time
PV2 - Patient Visit - Additional Info (Optional)
Purpose : Extended visit information
Key Fields :
- PV2-1: Prior Pending Location (for transfers)
- PV2-3: Admit Reason
- PV2-8: Expected Discharge Date
- PV2-9: Expected Discharge Disposition
- PV2-47: Expected LOA Return Date/Time
IHE PAM Mandatory Fields
Required for All ADT Messages
- MSH-3: Sending Application
- MSH-4: Sending Facility
- MSH-7: Date/Time of Message
- MSH-9: Message Type
- MSH-10: Message Control ID
- MSH-12: Version ID (2.5)
- EVN-1: Event Type Code
- EVN-2: Recorded Date/Time
- PID-3: Patient Identifier
- PID-5: Patient Name
- PID-7: Date of Birth
- PID-8: Sex
Required for Admission/Transfer Messages (A01, A02)
- PV1-2: Patient Class
- PV1-3: Assigned Patient Location
- PV1-19: Visit Number
- PV1-44: Admit Date/Time
Required for Discharge Messages (A03)
- PV1-36: Discharge Disposition
- PV1-45: Discharge Date/Time
Parsing Logic
When asked to parse an HL7 IHE PAM message:
-
Split by segment terminator : segments = message.split('\r') or split('\n')
-
Parse MSH segment (always first):
- Extract delimiters from MSH-2:
^~\&
- Field delimiter:
|
- Component delimiter:
^
- Repetition delimiter:
~
- Escape character:
\
- Subcomponent delimiter:
&
-
Identify message type : Check MSH-9
Example Output Format
When parsing a message, provide:
### HL7 IHE PAM Message Analysis
**Raw Message**:
[original HL7 message with visible delimiters]
**Message Identification**:
- Message Type: ADT^A01
- Event Code: A01 (Admit/Visit Notification)
- Message Control ID: [MSH-10]
- Timestamp: [formatted MSH-7]
- Version: 2.5
**MSH - Message Header**:
- Sending Application: [MSH-3]
- Sending Facility: [MSH-4]
- Receiving Application: [MSH-5]
- Receiving Facility: [MSH-6]
- Processing ID: [MSH-11] (Production/Test)
**EVN - Event Type**:
- Event Code: [EVN-1]
- Recorded DateTime: [formatted EVN-2]
- Event Occurred: [formatted EVN-3]
- Operator: [EVN-5]
**PID - Patient Identification**:
- Patient ID: [PID-3]
- Patient Name: [formatted PID-5]
- Date of Birth: [formatted PID-7]
- Sex: [PID-8]
- Address: [formatted PID-11]
- Phone: [PID-13]
- [other relevant fields]
**PV1 - Patient Visit**:
- Patient Class: [PV1-2] ([description])
- Assigned Location: [formatted PV1-3]
- Attending Doctor: [formatted PV1-7]
- Hospital Service: [PV1-10]
- Visit Number: [PV1-19]
- Admit DateTime: [formatted PV1-44]
- [other relevant fields based on message type]
**PV2 - Additional Visit Info** (if present):
- Prior Location: [PV2-1]
- [other relevant fields]
**Business Context**:
[Explain what this message represents, the workflow event, and clinical significance]
**IHE PAM Compliance**:
- Required segments: [✓ or ✗ for MSH, EVN, PID, PV1]
- Required fields: [list of mandatory field validation results]
- Field formats: [✓ or ✗ for dates, codes, etc.]
Common ADT Event Codes
| Code | Event Name | Purpose |
|---|
| A01 | Admit/Visit Notification | Patient admission to inpatient care |
| A02 | Transfer a Patient | Transfer between units/rooms |
| A03 | Discharge a Patient | Patient discharge from hospital |
| A04 | Register a Patient | Pre-admission or outpatient registration |
| A05 | Pre-admit a Patient | Notification of planned admission |
| A06 | Change Outpatient to Inpatient | Status change |
| A07 | Change Inpatient to Outpatient | Status change |
| A08 | Update Patient Information | Demographics update |
| A09 | Patient Departing - Tracking | Patient left facility temporarily |
Patient Class Codes
| Code | Description |
|---|
| I | Inpatient |
| O | Outpatient |
| E | Emergency |
| P | Preadmit |
| R | Recurring patient |
| B | Obstetrics |
| C | Commercial Account |
| N | Not Applicable |
| U | Unknown |
Discharge Disposition Codes
| Code | Description |
|---|
| HOME | Home or self care |
| SNF | Skilled nursing facility |
| RH | Rehabilitation facility |
| EXP | Expired (deceased) |
| HOS | Hospice |
| AADVICE | Left against medical advice |
| OTH | Other |
Validation Rules
Message Structure
- First segment MUST be MSH
- MSH-1 MUST be
|
- MSH-2 MUST be
^~\& (encoding characters)
- Segments MUST be separated by CR or LF
- Fields MUST be separated by
|
Required Segments by Message Type
- A01, A04, A05 : MSH, EVN, PID, PV1
- A02 : MSH, EVN, PID, PV1 (PV2 recommended for prior location)
- A03 : MSH, EVN, PID, PV1
- A08 : MSH, EVN, PID (PV1 optional)
- A11, A12, A13 : MSH, EVN, PID
Date/Time Formats
- Date: YYYYMMDD
- DateTime: YYYYMMDDHHmmss or YYYYMMDDHHmmss.SSSS
- Time: HHmmss
Patient Identifier Format
- PID-3: PatientId^^^AssigningAuthority^IdentifierType
- Example: PAT12345^^^CHU_PARIS^PI
Name Format
- PID-5: LastName^FirstName^MiddleName^Suffix^Prefix^Degree
- Example: DUPONT^JEAN^^M.
Location Format
- PV1-3: PointOfCare^Room^Bed^Facility^LocationStatus^PersonLocationType^Building
- Example: CHU_PARIS^CARDIO^LIT_001^CHU_PARIS
Reference Documentation
IHE PAM Specification :
HL7 v2.5 Standard :
Related Tools :
Quick Reference
Delimiters
| Field delimiter
^ Component delimiter
~ Repetition delimiter
\ Escape character
& Subcomponent delimiter
Common Fields
MSH-9 : Message Type (ADT^A01^ADT_A01)
MSH-10 : Message Control ID
EVN-1 : Event Type Code (A01, A02, etc.)
EVN-2 : Recorded DateTime
PID-3 : Patient ID
PID-5 : Patient Name
PID-7 : Birth Date
PID-8 : Sex
PV1-2 : Patient Class (I/O/E)
PV1-3 : Assigned Location
PV1-19 : Visit Number
PV1-44 : Admit DateTime
PV1-45 : Discharge DateTime
Weekly Installs
74
Repository
dedalus-erp-pas…n-skills
GitHub Stars
2
First Seen
Jan 22, 2026
Security Audits
Gen Agent Trust HubPassSocketPassSnykPass
Installed on
gemini-cli63
github-copilot63
codex62
opencode62
cursor61
claude-code56
