HL7 ORL_O36 (Lab Order Response for One Container) | Integration Soup HL7 Reference Guide

HL7 ORL_O36 Lab Order Response for One Container

The lab answers an O35-style order while preserving the specimen-container hierarchy.

HL7 message structure ORL_O36 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
MSA	Message Acknowledgment	Yes	No
ERR	Error	No	Yes
SFT	Software Segment	No	Yes
NTE	Notes and Comments	No	Yes
ORL_O36.RESPONSE	Response group	No	No
ORL_O36.PATIENT	Patient group	No	No
PID	Patient Identification	Yes	No
ORL_O36.SPECIMEN	Specimen group	Yes	Yes
SPM	Specimen	Yes	No
OBX	Observation/Result	No	Yes
ORL_O36.SPECIMEN_CONTAINER	Specimen Container group	Yes	Yes
SAC	Specimen Container detail	Yes	No
ORL_O36.ORDER	Order group	No	Yes
ORC	Common Order	Yes	No
ORL_O36.TIMING	Timing group	No	Yes
TQ1	Timing/Quantity	Yes	No
TQ2	Timing/Quantity Relationship	No	Yes
ORL_O36.OBSERVATION_REQUEST	Observation Request group	No	No
OBR	Observation Request	Yes	No

ORL_O36 is the response to the O35 laboratory order pattern, where orders sit under a specimen container. It lets the lab acknowledge the message and return container-aware order status, filler numbers, or rejection details.

Use ORL_O36 when the container hierarchy matters. If the lab simply says "message accepted" without container/order detail, a shorter response may be valid, but it may not give the placer enough identifiers for later reconciliation.

A small ORL O36 example

MSH|^~\&|LAB|CITYLAB|EHR|CITYHOSP|20260718104003||ORL^O36^ORL_O36|ORL360001|P|2.5.1 MSA|AA|OML350001 PID|1||123456^^^CITYHOSP^MR||Smith^Jane^Anne^^Ms^^L SPM|1|SPEC350001^EHR|SPEC990035^LAB|BLD^Blood^HL70487 SAC|||TUBE350001^EHR|TUBE990035^LAB ORC|OK|ORD350001^EHR|LAB350001^LAB OBR|1|ORD350001^EHR|LAB350001^LAB|CBC^Complete blood count^L ORC|OK|ORD350002^EHR|LAB350002^LAB OBR|2|ORD350002^EHR|LAB350002^LAB|RETIC^Reticulocyte count^L

What systems do with it

The lab sends ORL_O36 after receiving an OML_O35. The placer uses the response to understand whether the container and each order beneath it were accepted, rejected, or assigned lab-side identifiers.

If a container is unsuitable, the response should be clear enough for the sender to hold or correct all affected orders. That is one reason preserving the SPM/SAC/ORC hierarchy is useful.

How to read the structure

The response group contains patient, specimen, specimen observation, container, order, timing, and observation request levels. MSA and optional ERR describe message-level and error state; ORC describes order-level outcome.

When the response contains SAC, store the returned container identifier if later lab automation or result routing depends on it.

Implementation traps

Do not collapse the response to the first ORC if there are several orders under the same container. One order can be accepted while another needs correction.

Also do not ignore container IDs because the patient and order identifiers look familiar. The container is the piece that tells a lab robot or accessioning bench which physical item is being discussed.

Reference notes

The HL7 ORL_O36 structure shows specimen and specimen-container groups before the order group, matching the O35 container-aware ordering pattern. See HL7 Europe ORL_O36.