HL7 MFN_M07 (Clinical Study without Phases but with Schedules)

HL7 MFN_M07 Clinical Study without Phases but with Schedules

A study master-file feed for protocols that have scheduled time points but no separate phase layer.

HL7 message structure MFN_M07 groups and segments from HL7 v2.5.1 Hide structure

These are the generated groups and segments for the version selected at the top of the page. The article explains the workflow, and this panel follows the chosen HL7 version.

Message Structure

Segment	Name	Required	Repeatable
MSH	Message Header	Yes	No
SFT	Software Segment	No	Yes
MFI	Master File Identification	Yes	No
MFN_M07.MF_CLIN_STUDY_SCHED	Mf Clin Study Sched group	Yes	Yes
MFE	Master File Entry	Yes	No
CM0	Clinical Study Master	Yes	No
CM2	Clinical Study Schedule Master	No	Yes

MFN_M07 publishes clinical study master data when the study has scheduled time points but does not need the extra CM1 phase layer used by MFN_M06. It is still a master-file message: it defines reference data, not patient-specific participation.

This event is useful when a protocol is simple enough that "baseline," "week 2," and "week 8" belong directly to the study. Keeping that distinction out of the patient messages makes downstream validation and scheduling less brittle.

A small MFN M07 example

MSH|^~\&|RESEARCH|CITYHOSP|EHR|CITYHOSP|20260722103000||MFN^M07^MFN_M07|MFN070001|P|2.5.1 MFI|CMB^Clinical study without phases but with schedules^HL70175|RESEARCH^CITYHOSP|UPD|20260722103000|20260722110000|AL MFE|MAD|MFN070001|20260722110000|STUDY-GLU-02^CITYHOSP|EI CM0|1|STUDY-GLU-02^CITYHOSP||Glucose Monitoring Study|12345^Kaur^Priya^^^^^^CITYHOSP|20260701 CM2|1|BASELINE^Baseline visit^L|Baseline assessment CM2|2|WEEK2^Week 2 call^L|Follow-up telephone call CM2|3|WEEK8^Week 8 visit^L|Final study visit

What workflow it represents

The sender publishes a study definition and its direct schedule. Receivers may be clinical systems, scheduling systems, integration engines, research billing tools, or repositories that need to recognize the protocol and its time points.

MFN_M07 is lighter than MFN_M06 because there is no phase group to maintain. That can be a better fit for simple studies, but only if both sides agree that the schedule really does not need a phase hierarchy.

How to read the structure

The message starts with the same MSH, MFI, and MFE pattern as the other master-file notifications.

The required MF_CLIN_STUDY_SCHED group contains CM0 for the study record. It can then repeat CM2 for scheduled time points directly under the study, without CM1.

Use MFK_M01 for application-level feedback when the receiving system needs to report whether the study schedule was applied.

Implementation traps

The common trap is choosing M07 because it looks shorter, then later discovering that the protocol actually has separate screening, treatment, and follow-up phases. If those phases matter operationally, MFN_M06 is easier to keep clear.

Another trap is using local text labels as if they were schedule codes. "Baseline" is readable, but receivers need stable identifiers when a label changes to "Baseline Visit" or when two studies both use the same display text.

For updates, decide whether missing CM2 rows mean "unchanged" or "delete the old schedule rows." That one rule prevents a surprising number of research-interface support tickets.

Reference notes

HL7 v2+ identifies M07 as the clinical study master-file event without phases but with schedules. Its structure places CM2 schedule records directly after the required CM0 study record.