^A02
ADT^A02 — Transfer a Patient
Sent when a patient is transferred from one location to another within the facility. It updates the patient's location in all downstream systems that track bed or unit assignments.
When Is This Sent?
When a patient moves from one unit, room, or bed to another — for example, from the ED to a medical/surgical floor, from a general ward to the ICU, or between rooms within the same unit.
Real-World Usage
Transfers are common — a 500-bed hospital may process 100+ transfer messages per day. Downstream systems like PACS, pharmacy, and bed management need to receive A02 messages promptly or patient records will show the wrong location. Delayed or dropped transfer messages cause medications to be delivered to the wrong location.
Message Structure
Segment names link to their field-level reference pages.
| # | Segment | Purpose in this message | Req | Repeat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MSH | Message header with ADT^A02 in MSH.9 | R | — |
| 2 | EVN | Event type with A02 trigger and transfer timestamp | R | — |
| 3 | PID | Patient demographics (unchanged from admission) | R | — |
| 4 | PV1 | Visit information with updated location in PV1.3 | R | — |
| 5 | PV2 | Extended visit information including transfer reason | O | — |
| 6 | DB1 | Disability information | O | — |
Example Message
Realistic example with fake patient data. Paste into the HL7 Message Viewer to explore interactively.
1MSH||^~\&|EPIC|HOSPITAL_A|MIRTH_PROD|PACS|20260310160000||ADT^A02^ADT_A02|MSG00002|P|2.5.1 2EVN||A02|20260310160000 3PID||1||123456^^^HOSP_A^MR||Smith^John^M^^Mr.||19850315|M 4PV1||1|I|5B^305^2^^^HOSP_A||||1234^Ahmed^Dr.^Khalid|||MED|||||||||IP||||||||||||||||||||||||||20260310143000
Troubleshooting Scenarios
Transfer not reflected in downstream system — patient still shows old location
Cause
A02 message is being sent but the downstream system is not configured to update location on A02 events. Many PACS and RIS systems only act on A01/A04 and not A02.
Fix
Check the downstream system's HL7 event configuration. Add A02 to the list of events that trigger a patient context update. Some systems require a workaround — sending the A02 through a transformation that converts it to an A08 (update patient info) update.
Transfer creates a new encounter instead of updating the existing one
Cause
The downstream system is treating A02 like an A01 (new admission) rather than an update. This happens when PV1.19 (visit number) in the A02 doesn't match the visit number from the original A01.
Fix
Verify PV1.19 (visit number) is consistent between the A01 and subsequent A02 messages. The visit number must not change during a transfer.
Common Confusions
ADT^A02 (Transfer) vs ADT^A06 (Change outpatient to inpatient) / ADT^A07 (Change inpatient to outpatient). A02 moves a patient within the same patient class. A06 and A07 change the patient class while also potentially changing location. If you need to move a patient AND change their class, use A06 or A07, not A02.
Related Message Types
Segment Reference
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