Message type

Dietary order

Submits a dietary order for a patient. The ORC carries order control and ODS or ODT segments define dietary preferences, supplements, and tray instructions.

33segments

11required

4groups

v2.9HL7 version

# Zato
from zato.hl7v2 import HL7Message

# An incoming message ..
raw = 'MSH|^~\&|SENDER|FAC|RCV|DEST|20260701||' \
      'OMD^O03^OMD_O03|MSG001|P|2.9\r' \
      'ORC|NW|ORD001||GRP001|||1^BID\r' \
      'PID|1||MRN-10045||SMITH^JOHN||19850315|M'

# .. parsed into a Python object ..
msg = HL7Message.parse(raw)

# .. whose fields we can now access.
order_control = msg.orc.order_control
order_number = msg.orc.placer_order_number
name = msg.pid.patient_name
dob = msg.pid.date_time_of_birth

Python examples

Build and parse OMD^O03 messages in Python

How to construct, send, receive, and extract fields from real-world OMD^O03 messages.

Parse an incoming OMD^O03 message

Demonstrates receiving and extracting key fields from a dietary order transaction

# Zato
from zato.hl7v2 import HL7Message

# An incoming message ..
raw = 'MSH|^~\&|SENDER|FAC|RCV|DEST|20260701||' \
      'OMD^O03^OMD_O03|MSG001|P|2.9\r' \
      'ORC|NW|ORD001||GRP001|||1^BID\r' \
      'PID|1||MRN-10045||SMITH^JOHN||19850315|M'

# .. parsed into a Python object ..
msg = HL7Message.parse(raw)

# .. whose fields we can now access.
order_control = msg.orc.order_control
order_number = msg.orc.placer_order_number
name = msg.pid.patient_name
dob = msg.pid.date_time_of_birth

Tutorials

Learn by building

Step-by-step guides for working with HL7 v2 in Zato.

MLLP

Receive and parse HL7 v2 messages

Set up an MLLP channel, parse incoming messages, and respond with acknowledgments.

Start tutorial Build

Build and send HL7 v2 messages

Construct HL7 v2 messages from scratch using typed segment classes and send them over MLLP.

Start tutorial

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Use the HL7v2 message parser to extract the typed structure. The parsed message gives you direct access to every segment and field by name.

from zato.hl7v2 import HL7Message

raw = 'MSH|^~\&|SENDER|FACILITY|RECEIVER|DEST|20260401120000||OMD^O03^OMD_O03|MSG00001|P|2.9'
msg = HL7Message.parse(raw)

order_control = msg.orc.order_control
order_number = msg.orc.placer_order_number

Beyond the mandatory MSH header, the required segments are: PID, PV1, IN1, ORC, TQ1, ODS, OBX, ORC. Optional segments provide additional detail when available.

Zato connects to any system that speaks HL7v2 over MLLP or FHIR over REST. This includes Epic, Cerner, Meditech, Allscripts, and other EHR platforms.

Yes, Zato has built-in MLLP support for sending and receiving HL7v2 messages. MLLP channels handle the framing protocol automatically.

Zato supports HL7 v2.9, which is backward compatible with earlier versions including v2.3, v2.5, and v2.7. Standard segments and datatypes are available as typed Python classes.

Yes. Zato handles both HL7v2 and FHIR natively, so you can parse v2 messages and build FHIR resources with IG-specific extensions in the same service. Typed Python classes are available for both protocols, including extensions from US Core, UK Core, Da Vinci, and other Implementation Guides.

Reference

OMD^O03 segment composition

Segments that make up the OMD^O03 message, in order. Groups are shown with their child segments.

#	Segment	Usage	Repeats	Description	Group
1	`MSH`	Required	No	Message header	-
2	`ARV`	Optional	Yes	Access restriction	-
3	`SFT`	Optional	Yes	Software segment	-
4	`UAC`	Optional	No	User authentication credential	-
5	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	-
6	`PID`	Required	No	Patient identification	PATIENT
7	`PD1`	Optional	No	Patient additional demographic	PATIENT
8	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	PATIENT
9	`ARV`	Optional	Yes	Access restriction	PATIENT
10	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	PATIENT
11	`PV1`	Required	No	Patient visit	PATIENT
12	`PV2`	Optional	No	Patient visit - additional info	PATIENT
13	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	PATIENT
14	`IN1`	Required	No	Insurance	PATIENT
15	`IN2`	Optional	No	Insurance additional info	PATIENT
16	`IN3`	Optional	No	Insurance additional info - certification	PATIENT
17	`GT1`	Optional	No	Guarantor	PATIENT
18	`AL1`	Optional	Yes	Patient allergy information	PATIENT
19	`ORC`	Required	No	Common order	ORDER_DIET
20	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	ORDER_DIET
21	`TQ1`	Required	No	Timing / quantity	ORDER_DIET
22	`TQ2`	Optional	Yes	Timing / quantity relationship	ORDER_DIET
23	`ODS`	Required	Yes	Dietary orders, supplements, and preferences	ORDER_DIET
24	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	ORDER_DIET
25	`OBX`	Required	No	Observation result	OBSERVATION
26	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	OBSERVATION
27	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	OBSERVATION
28	`ORC`	Required	No	Common order	ORDER_TRAY
29	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	ORDER_TRAY
30	`TQ1`	Required	No	Timing / quantity	ORDER_TRAY
31	`TQ2`	Optional	Yes	Timing / quantity relationship	ORDER_TRAY
32	`ODT`	Required	Yes	Diet tray instructions	ORDER_TRAY
33	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	ORDER_TRAY

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