A move has been done at the account identifier level. That is, a PID-18-patient ID (account number) associated with one internal identifier (PID-3-patient ID (internal ID)) has been moved to another internal identifier.
An A44 event is used to signal a move of records identified by the MRG-3-prior patient account number from the "incorrect source internal identifier" identified in the MRG segment (MRG-1-prior patient ID-internal) to the "correct target internal identifier" identified in the PID segment (PID-3-patient ID (internal ID).
The account number involved in identifying the account to be moved (MRG-3-prior patient account number) may or may not have visits. In any case, all subordinate data sets associated with the account number in MRG-3-prior patient account number are moved along with the account number, from the "incorrect source internal" ID (MRG-1-prior patient ID-internal) to the "correct target internal" ID (PID-3-patient ID (internal ID)).
No identifiers subordinate to the account number (visit number, alternate visit ID) are valued in this message.
This event and the message syntax do, however, allow for the specification of a "new identifier" (PID-18-patient account number), which may be application and/or implementation specific and therefore require site negotiation.
All the identifiers superior to the account number should be valued in both the MRG segment and the PID segment. In this message, the internal ID and the external ID are superior to the account number.
See Section 3.5.2, "Merging patient/person information," for a discussion of issues related to the implementation of move messages.
The fields included when this message is sent should be the fields pertinent to communicate this event. When demographic data in other fields change, it is recommended that the A08 (update patient information) event be used in conjunction with this message. However, all PID data associated with the "account number" are treated as updated information.
ADT ADT Message Chapter
MSH Message Header 2
EVN Event Type 3
{ PID Patient Identification 3
[PD1] Additional Demographics 3
MRG Merge Information 3
}
ACK General Acknowledgment Chapter
MSH Message Header 2
MSA Message Acknowledgment 2
[ ERR ] Error 2