^A23
ADT^A23 — Delete a Patient Record
Sent to delete a visit record that was created in error. Unlike A11 (cancel admit), A23 is a hard delete instruction — it signals that the visit never should have existed and should be completely removed from downstream systems.
When Is This Sent?
When a visit was created as a test, a duplicate, or in error and must be purged from all systems. The patient record in PID identifies which visit to delete.
Real-World Usage
A23 is relatively rare in production environments and is mostly used for cleaning up test data or correcting data entry errors before any clinical activity occurred. Many downstream systems do not implement A23 deletion because hard deletes are dangerous — instead, they void or inactivate the record. Confirm with each downstream vendor how A23 is handled before relying on it for data cleanup.
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|PACS|20260310120000||ADT^A23^ADT_A23|MSG00085|P|2.5.1 2EVN||A23|20260310120000 3PID||1||TEST001^^^HOSP_A^MR||Test^Patient^T||19000101|U 4PV1||1|I|TST^001^1^^^HOSP_A|||||||||||||||||VIS_TEST_001
Troubleshooting Scenarios
Test patient record still visible in downstream system after A23
Cause
Downstream system does not support A23 hard delete and has no mechanism to remove records.
Fix
Contact the downstream system vendor to confirm A23 support. If not supported, manually void the record in the downstream system. For test cleanup, consider using a dedicated test purge utility rather than relying on HL7 A23.
Common Confusions
ADT^A23 (Delete Visit Record) vs ADT^A29 (Delete Person Information). A23 deletes a specific visit/encounter. A29 deletes the person-level record from the MPI. A23 operates on a visit; A29 operates on the patient identity itself. Both are destructive operations — use with caution.
Related Message Types
Segment Reference
Paste this message into our viewer
Interactive HL7 parser. Decodes every field, validates structure, highlights errors. Free, no signup.
Open HL7 Message Viewer →Need mapping templates?
The HL7 Integration Toolkit includes field mapping worksheets and interface spec templates for every major HL7 message type including ADT^A23.
View HL7 Integration Toolkit →