Question: How to populate OBX-23?

Jul 24, 2012

Question:

I am working on creating a reportable labs HL7 message and am having great difficulty finding information on how to complete the OBX-23 component of the message

Answer:

OBX-3 is the Performing Organization Name of the laboratory. It has the following fields (v2.6):

ID Name   Data Type   Table   Table Values
1 Organization Name   ST: String Data        
2 Organization Name Type Code   IS: Coded Value for User-Defined Tables   Organizational name type    
3 ID Number   NM: Numeric        
4 Identifier Check Digit   NM: Numeric        
5 Check Digit Scheme   ID: Coded Value for HL7 Defined Tables   Check digit scheme    
6 Assigning Authority   HD: Hierarchic Designator   Assigning authority    
7 Identifier Type Code   ID: Coded Value for HL7 Defined Tables   Identifier type    
8 Assigning Facility   HD: Hierarchic Designator        
9 Name Representation Code   ID: Coded Value for HL7 Defined Tables   Name/address representation    
10 Organization Identifier   ST: String Data        

There’s some somewhat confusing stuff here, a fusion of naming and identifying an organization. Here’s my notes about the components of this data type:

  1. Sounds simple - the name of the organisation. But organisation names are slippery beasts, and subject to change. So there’s a lot more information to add to deal with the ins and outs of this
  2. The type code can be Alias, Display, Legal, or a stock exchange code (not sure what the use case for that is). This isn’t that useful in OBX-23 where you can only have one name. Most likely, the systems doesn’t know what kind of name the use entered, so it can’t populate a value. And you should only put a value in here if you know what the right value is
  3. Components 3-8 match the equivalent components 1-6 of the CX data type, and represent one identifier that identifies the organization. i.e. you can have one name and one identifier. But see notes about component 10 - this component should not be used
  4. Identifier check digits should not be used.
  5. Identifier check digits should not be used
  6. This is the identity of the authority that issued the identifier in component 10. Typically, you have either a public identifier (preferred) or a private key there. This component scopes the identifier by providing a code (in sub-component 1) or a more formal identifier in sub-component 2. Sub-component 3 provides more information about sub-component 2. It’s hard to provide general advice about the HD data type. If you are using an identifier issued by a public authority, there should be some advice somewhere about how to properly identify a particular authority. I say should because I have no idea where to look outside Australia (and here in Australia, my earlier blog post about thiseventually developed into a hand-book to be published soon by Standards Australia)
  7. The type of the identifier - if known. Only a few of the values in the table are applicable to organisations, such as NII, and the ubiquitious but uninformative default “XX” (Organization identifier)
  8. Where (place or location) that the identifier was assigned. Usually this is not known, and mostly this is irrelevant, and I’d advise against using it.
  9. Don’t use outside Japan
  10. This component replaces component 3. I don’t recall the discussion around this component, but the only apparent change is the type - that component 3 should have been ST, not NM, and this replaces component 3 with a type of ST, to better align with CX

So, summary: org name in component 1. Only populate 2 if you’re sure. If you have an identifier, put it in component 10, and then populate 6 with a scope for that identifier. Populate 7 if you’re sure. Leave everything else blank.