Message type

Patient goal

Communicates patient goal information for care planning. The GOL segment carries goal details, PRB segments carry associated problems, and ORC/OBR pairs carry related orders. Care coordination and clinical decision support systems consume this.

36segments

15required

6groups

v2.9HL7 version

# Zato
from zato.hl7v2 import HL7Message

# An incoming message ..
raw = 'MSH|^~\&|SENDER|FAC|RCV|DEST|20260701||' \
      'PGL^PC6^PGL_PC6|MSG001|P|2.9\r' \
      'PID|1||MRN-10045||SMITH^JOHN||19850315|M\r' \
      'PV1|1|I|MED^201^A'

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

# .. whose fields we can now access.
name = msg.pid.patient_name
dob = msg.pid.date_time_of_birth
patient_class = msg.pv1.patient_class
location = msg.pv1.assigned_patient_location

Python examples

Build and parse PGL^PC6 messages in Python

How to construct, send, receive, and extract fields from real-world PGL^PC6 messages.

Parse an incoming PGL^PC6 message

Demonstrates receiving and extracting key fields from a patient goal transaction

# Zato
from zato.hl7v2 import HL7Message

# An incoming message ..
raw = 'MSH|^~\&|SENDER|FAC|RCV|DEST|20260701||' \
      'PGL^PC6^PGL_PC6|MSG001|P|2.9\r' \
      'PID|1||MRN-10045||SMITH^JOHN||19850315|M\r' \
      'PV1|1|I|MED^201^A'

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

# .. whose fields we can now access.
name = msg.pid.patient_name
dob = msg.pid.date_time_of_birth
patient_class = msg.pv1.patient_class
location = msg.pv1.assigned_patient_location

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||PGL^PC6^PGL_PC6|MSG00001|P|2.9\rPID|1||MRN-10045||JOHNSON^SARAH^M||19880612|F|||100 Oak Lane^^Portland^OR^97201'
msg = HL7Message.parse(raw)

name = msg.pid.patient_name
dob = msg.pid.date_time_of_birth

Beyond the mandatory MSH header, the required segments are: PID, PRD, PV1, GOL, ROL, PRT, PTH, OBX. 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

PGL^PC6 segment composition

Segments that make up the PGL^PC6 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	`PID`	Required	No	Patient identification	-
6	`PRD`	Required	No	Provider data	PROVIDER
7	`CTD`	Optional	Yes	Contact data	PROVIDER
8	`PV1`	Required	No	Patient visit	PATIENT_VISIT
9	`PV2`	Optional	No	Patient visit - additional info	PATIENT_VISIT
10	`GOL`	Required	No	Goal detail	GOAL
11	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	GOAL
12	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	GOAL
13	`ROL`	Required	No	Role	GOAL
14	`PRT`	Required	No	Participation information	GOAL
15	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	GOAL
16	`PTH`	Required	No	Pathway	GOAL
17	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	GOAL
18	`OBX`	Required	No	Observation result	GOAL
19	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	GOAL
20	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	GOAL
21	`PRB`	Required	No	Problem detail	GOAL
22	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	GOAL
23	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	GOAL
24	`ROL`	Required	No	Role	PROBLEM_PARTICIPATION
25	`PRT`	Required	No	Participation information	PROBLEM_PARTICIPATION
26	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	PROBLEM_PARTICIPATION
27	`OBX`	Required	No	Observation result	PROBLEM_OBSERVATION
28	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	PROBLEM_OBSERVATION
29	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	PROBLEM_OBSERVATION
30	`ORC`	Required	No	Common order	GOAL
31	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	ORDER_DETAIL
32	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	ORDER_DETAIL
33	`OBX`	Required	No	Observation result	ORDER_DETAIL
34	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	ORDER_DETAIL
35	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	ORDER_DETAIL
36	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	ORDER_DETAIL

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