What Are Z Segments?
October 5th, 2006 by NeoTool
(9 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
Loading ...Posted in HL7 Messaging, HL7 Terms, What is HL7?, HL7 Standard
HL7 terms to better understand what is HL7. Z segments contain clinical or patient data that the HL7 Standard may not have defined in other areas. Essentially, it is the “catch all” for data that does not fit into the HL7 Standard message definitions. Z segments can be inserted in any message at any time, and Z segments can carry any data you want. In HL7 messaging, all Z segments within it start with the letter “Z”.
Z segments are one of the reasons why the HL7 Standard is sometimes called the flexible standard. The HL7 Standard is a framework for negotiation, and Z segments is an area ripe for negotiation between healthcare vendors and systems.
When using Z segments, it is important to have adequate documentation of what is included.
Last 5 posts by NeoTool
- What Is an SIU Message? - November 3rd, 2006
- What Is an ACK? - October 5th, 2006
- What Are Z Segments? - October 5th, 2006
- What Is a DFT Message? - October 5th, 2006
- What Is an ORU Message? - October 5th, 2006
[…] Field list for all segments including Z segments […]
Hi, Very useful post. I have some questions about Z segments.
1) Can I insert a Z segment anywhere in the message or can I only place the Z segment at the end?
2) In our Customers Interface specification, if they have not defined a Z segment, but they send some Z segments, should I throw conformance error or not?
Thanks in advance
Senthil
Z-Segment Answers - See Blog Post.
[…] On a previous HL7 Z-Segment post, a reader responded with two questions. Outlined below are the questions and my answers. […]
Thanks, Really informative and helpful