Message type

Pathway (goal-oriented)

Communicates a goal-oriented clinical pathway for a patient. The PTH segment carries pathway details with nested goal, problem, and order groups. Care pathway management systems consume this.

40segments

17required

8groups

v2.9HL7 version

# Zato
from zato.hl7v2 import HL7Message

# An incoming message ..
raw = 'MSH|^~\&|SENDER|FAC|RCV|DEST|20260701||' \
      'PPG^PCG^PPG_PCG|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 PPG^PCG messages in Python

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

Parse an incoming PPG^PCG message

Demonstrates receiving and extracting key fields from a pathway (goal-oriented) transaction

# Zato
from zato.hl7v2 import HL7Message

# An incoming message ..
raw = 'MSH|^~\&|SENDER|FAC|RCV|DEST|20260701||' \
      'PPG^PCG^PPG_PCG|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||PPG^PCG^PPG_PCG|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, PTH, ROL, PRT, GOL, ROL. 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

PPG^PCG segment composition

Segments that make up the PPG^PCG 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	`PTH`	Required	No	Pathway	PATHWAY
11	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	PATHWAY
12	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	PATHWAY
13	`ROL`	Required	No	Role	PATHWAY
14	`PRT`	Required	No	Participation information	PATHWAY
15	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	PATHWAY
16	`GOL`	Required	No	Goal detail	PATHWAY
17	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	PATHWAY
18	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	PATHWAY
19	`ROL`	Required	No	Role	GOAL_PARTICIPATION
20	`PRT`	Required	No	Participation information	GOAL_PARTICIPATION
21	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	GOAL_PARTICIPATION
22	`OBX`	Required	No	Observation result	GOAL_OBSERVATION
23	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	GOAL_OBSERVATION
24	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	GOAL_OBSERVATION
25	`PRB`	Required	No	Problem detail	PROBLEM
26	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	PROBLEM
27	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	PROBLEM
28	`ROL`	Required	No	Role	PROBLEM
29	`PRT`	Required	No	Participation information	PROBLEM
30	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	PROBLEM
31	`OBX`	Required	No	Observation result	PROBLEM
32	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	PROBLEM
33	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	PROBLEM
34	`ORC`	Required	No	Common order	ORDER
35	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	ORDER
36	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	ORDER
37	`OBX`	Required	No	Observation result	ORDER_OBSERVATION
38	`PRT`	Optional	Yes	Participation information	ORDER_OBSERVATION
39	`NTE`	Optional	Yes	Notes and comments	ORDER_OBSERVATION
40	`VAR`	Optional	Yes	Variance	ORDER_OBSERVATION

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