HL7 type codes

These codes are based on the HL7 2.1 version standard.

This table lists the HL7 type codes:

Type code Description Example
AD Address: The street number or mailing address of a person or institution. 10 ASH LN^#3^LIMA^OH^48132
CE Coded Element: Transmits codes and the text associated with the code. 54.21^Laproscopy^I9C^42112^^AS4
CK Check Digit: Composite ID with check digit 128952^6^M11^ADT01
CM Composite: A field that is a combination of other meaningful data fields. Each portion is called a component. 12372^RIGGINS^JOHN^""^MD
CN Coded Name: Composite ID number and name. 12372^SMITH^JOHN^""^""^""^MD^ADT1
CQ Coded Quantity: Composite quantity with units. 123.7^kg
DT

Date: Includes a 4-digit year and is formatted as ccyymmdd.

19931104
FT Formatted text: Text string embedded formatting instructions. These instructions are limited to those that are intrinsic and independent of the field’s circumstances. \.fi this is example text \.nf
ID Identifier: Coded value in the form of an ST field. 20170
NM Numeric: Can include a leading + or - sign. If no sign is present, then a positive number is assumed. Decimal points can be included. If no decimal point is present, then it is assumed to be an integer. -123.456
PN Person name: A person’s name. This includes the given name, middle name, family name, prefix (for example, DR), suffix (for example, JR or III), and degree (for example, MD). Smith^Larry^V
SI Sequence ID: A positive integer 12345
ST String: Any display characters can be used. String data is left-justified with optional trailing blanks. This is a string
TM Time: 24-hour clock notation, formatted as hhmm[ss[-zzzz]] in v2.1, and hhmm[ss[.ssss]][+/-zzzz] in v2.2 and v2.3. The default time for optional elements is local time of the sender. Seconds and time zone are optional. 132752-0600
TN Telephone number (214)-555-2000
TS Time stamp: Contains the exact time of an event, including the date and time. The time zone may be sent as an offset from the coordinated universal time. If the time zone is not present, then it is the local time zone of the sender. 19931104132752-0600
TX Text: String data meant for user display (on a terminal or printer). Some highlighted text