IHE ITI Technical Framework
  • IHE IT Infrastructure (ITI) Technical Framework, Volume
    Revision 20.0, August 4, 2023 – Final Text
The Final Text ITI Technical Framework is published here in HTML format and is no longer published as PDF. Trial Implementation supplements are available from the Volume 1 Table of Contents.

Appendix N: PAM Data Types

This section describes IHE constraints of commonly used HL7 data types for use in PAM profile..

N.1 CX Data Type

This data type definition is not used in [ITI-8], [ITI-9], or [ITI-10]. See Appendix E for the rules for those transactions.

CX: Extended Composite ID with check digit

SEQ LEN DT Usage CARD TBL# COMPONENT NAME
1 15 ST R [1..1] ID Number
2 1 ST O [0..1] Check Digit
3 3 ID O [0..1] 0061 Check Digit Scheme
4 227 HD R [1..1] 0363 Assigning Authority
5 5 ID RE [0..1] 0203 Identifier Type Code
6 227 HD O [0..1] Assigning Facility
7 8 DT O [0..1] Effective Date
8 8 DT O [0..1] Expiration Date
9 705 CWE O [0..1] Assigning Jurisdiction
10 705 CWE O [0..1] Assigning Agency or Department

The constraints above particularly apply to the Patient Identifiers carried in the PID segment.

The data type has been constrained because the IHE Framework regards the Assigning Authority and the Identifier Type Code as essential components.

A common value of the Identifier Type Code for a Patient Identifier assigned by the healthcare organization (PID-3) is “PI”. Other values are defined in Table 0203 of HL7 2.5 Section 2.A.17.5.

Example: 12345^^^Saint-John Hospital^PI

The Identifier Type Code for Patient Account Number (PID-18) is “AN”.

N.2 EI Data Type

EI: Entity Identifier

SEQ LEN DT Usage CARD TBL# COMPONENT NAME
1 16 ST R [1..1] Entity Identifier
2 20 IS C [0..1] 0363 Namespace ID
3 199 ST C [0..1] Universal ID
4 6 ID C [0..1] 0301 Universal ID Type

Component 1 is required. Either component 2 or both components 3 and 4 are required. Components 2, 3 and 4 may be all present.

The EI is appropriate for machine or software generated identifiers. The generated identifier goes in the first component. The remaining components, 2 through 4, are known as the assigning authority; they can also identify the machine/system responsible for generating the identifier in component 1.

Example 1: AB12345^RiversideHospital

Example 2: AB12345^^1.2.840.45.67^ISO

Example 3: AB12345^RiversideHospital^1.2.840.45.67^ISO

IHE constrains the length of the first component to 16 characters. National extensions can extend this length up to a maximum of 199.

IHE recommends that Component 2, “Namespace ID,” always be populated. Particularly when there are several concurrent assigning authorities within the healthcare enterprise, this Namespace ID will indicate which assigning authority provided the identifier in Component 1.

N.3 HD Data Type

This data type definition is not used in [ITI-8], [ITI-9], or [ITI-10]. See Appendix E for the rules for those transactions.

HD: Hierarchic designator

SEQ LEN DT Usage CARD TBL# COMPONENT NAME
1 20 IS R [1..1] 0300 Namespace ID
2 199 ST C Universal ID
3 6 ID C 0301 Universal ID Type

IHE requires that a field of Data Type HD be populated with:

  • Either the first component “Namespace ID” alone, which in this case contains a local identifier of the object.
  • Or with all three components, “Namespace ID” containing the name of the object, “Universal ID” containing its universal OID, and “Universal ID Type” containing the value ISO .

This data type is particularly used in this profile to identify facilities, applications and assigning authorities: sending and receiving applications, sending and receiving facilities, last update facility, assigning authority of an identifier, etc.

N.4 PL data Type

PL: Person Location

SEQ LEN DT Usage CARD. TBL# COMPONENT NAME
1 20 IS O [0..1] 0302 Point of Care
2 20 IS O [0..1] 0303 Room
3 20 IS O [0..1] 0304 Bed
4 227 HD O [0..1] Facility
5 20 IS O [0..1] 0306 Location Status
6 20 IS C [0..1] 0305 Person Location Type
7 20 IS O [0..1] 0307 Building
8 20 IS O [0..1] 0308 Floor
9 199 ST O [0..1] Location Description
10 427 EI O [0..1] Comprehensive Location Identifier
11 227 HD O [0..1] Assigning Authority for Location

Comments on some components:

Component 1: Point of Care (IS):

HL7 definition: This component specifies the code for the point where patient care is administered. It is conditional on PL.6 Person Location Type (e.g., nursing unit or department or clinic). After floor, it is the most general patient location designation.

HL7 user-defined Table 0302 does not suggest any value. The codification of point of cares will be defined at the site level in acute care settings.

Component 4: Facility (HD):

HL7 definition: This component is subject to site interpretation but generally describes the highest level physical designation of an institution, medical center or enterprise. It is the most general person location designation.

The codification of facilities will be defined at the highest level, according to the context of use of the PAM Profile (community affinity domain, acute care setting, ambulatory domain, etc.).

Component 6: Person Location Type (IS):

HL7 definition: Person location type is the categorization of the person’s location defined by facility, building, floor, point of care, room or bed. Although not a required field, when used, it may be the only populated field. It usually includes values such as nursing unit, department, clinic, SNF, physician’s office. Refer to User-defined Table 0305 - Person location type for suggested values.

User-defined Table 0305 – Person location type

Value Description Comment
C Clinic
D Department
H Home
N Nursing Unit
O Provider’s Office
P Phone
S SNF

National extensions may further constrain or extend this table.

N.5 TS Data Type

TS: Time Stamp

SEQ LEN DT Usage CARD TBL# COMPONENT NAME
1 24 DTM R [1..1] Time
2 1 ID X [0..0] 0529 Degree of Precision

The first subfield is required. It specifies a point in time.

Maximum length: 24.

HL7 Format: YYYY[MM[DD[HH[MM[SS[.S[S[S[S]]]]]]]]][+/-ZZZZ]

Constrained format in the PAM Profile: YYYY[MM[DD[HH[MM[SS]]]]][+/-ZZZZ]

The least precise date possible is YYYY (only the year).

The most precise date possible is YYYYMMDDHHMMSS (up to the second).

The time zone (+/-ZZZZ) is represented as +/-HHMM offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), (formerly Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)), where +0000 or -0000 both represent UTC (without offset).

Note that if the time zone is not included, the time zone defaults to the local time zone of the sender.

The second subfield is deprecated in HL7 v2.5, and therefore is not supported by the PAM Profile.

N.6 XPN Data Type

XPN: Extended Person Name

SEQ LEN DT USAGE CARD TBL# COMPONENT NAME
1 194 FN RE [0..1] Family Name
2 30 ST O [0..1] Given Name
3 30 ST O [0..1] Second and Further Given Names or Initials Thereof
4 20 ST O [0..1] Suffix (e.g., JR or III)
5 20 ST O [0..1] Prefix (e.g., DR)
6 6 IS X [0..0] 0360 Degree (e.g., MD)
7 1 ID R [1..1] 0200 Name Type Code
8 1 ID O [0..1] 0465 Name Representation Code
9 483 CE O [0..1] 0448 Name Context
10 53 DR X [0..0] Name Validity Range
11 1 ID O [0..1] 0444 Name Assembly Order
12 26 TS O [0..1] Effective Date
13 26 TS O [0..1] Expiration Date
14 199 ST O [0..1] Professional Suffix

This data type is usually in a repeatable field, to allow a list of names. Examples: Legal name, display name.

Subfield 1 “Family Name” is required if known to the sender.

Subfield 7 “Name Type Code” is required. The PAM Profile allows these values from HL7 Table 0200 – Name type:

HL7 Table 0200: Name type

Value Description Comment
A Alias Name
B Name at Birth
C Adopted Name
D Display Name
I Licensing Name
L Legal Name
M Maiden Name
N Nickname /”Call me” Name/Street Name
R Registered Name (animals only)
S Coded Pseudo-Name to ensure anonymity
T Indigenous/Tribal/Community Name
U Unspecified

This table may be further defined and restrained in national extensions.

Subfields 6 (Degree) and 10 (Name Validity Range) are deprecated in HL7 v2.5, and therefore is not supported by the PAM Profile.