^A15
ADT^A15 — Pending Transfer
Sent to notify downstream systems that a patient transfer is imminent but has not yet occurred. Like A14, this is advisory — it notifies the destination unit to prepare a bed and the nursing team to prepare for the incoming patient.
When Is This Sent?
When a transfer order has been placed or a bed has been assigned at the destination unit, but the patient has not yet physically moved. The actual transfer (A02) follows when the patient moves.
Real-World Usage
A15 is used in hospitals with patient flow and transport management systems. It gives the receiving unit advance notice to prepare for the incoming patient — clean the room, gather equipment, notify nursing. In practice, A15 is less commonly implemented than A02, and many facilities skip it.
Message Structure
Segment names link to their field-level reference pages.
Example Message
Realistic example with fake patient data. Paste into the HL7 Message Viewer to explore interactively.
1MSH||^~\&|EPIC|HOSPITAL_A|MIRTH_PROD|BED_MGT|20260310155000||ADT^A15^ADT_A15|MSG00070|P|2.5.1 2EVN||A15|20260310155000 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
Destination unit shows patient as arrived before they physically moved
Cause
Downstream bed management system is treating A15 (pending transfer) the same as A02 (actual transfer), updating the patient location prematurely.
Fix
Ensure the bed management system distinguishes between A15 (pending) and A02 (actual). A15 should trigger a reservation or preparation status, not a location update.
Common Confusions
ADT^A15 (Pending Transfer) vs ADT^A02 (Transfer). A15 is advisory and should not update the patient's official location. A02 confirms the patient has actually moved and should update location in all downstream systems. Ensure downstream systems do not act on A15 the same way they act on A02.
Related Message Types
Segment Reference
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