HL7 OSR_Q06 Order Status Response

The older query response that reports what the filler knows about an order.
HL7 message structure OSR_Q06 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

SegmentNameRequiredRepeatable
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
QRD
 Original-Style Query Definition Yes No
QRF
 Original style query filter No No
OSR_Q06.RESPONSE
 Response group No No
OSR_Q06.PATIENT
 Patient group No No
PID
 Patient Identification Yes No
NTE
 Notes and Comments No Yes
OSR_Q06.ORDER
 Order group Yes Yes
ORC
 Common Order Yes No
OSR_Q06.TIMING
 Timing group No Yes
TQ1
 Timing/Quantity Yes No
TQ2
 Timing/Quantity Relationship No Yes
OSR_Q06.OBRRQDRQ1RXOODSODT_SUPPGRP
 Obrrqdrq1rxoodsodt Suppgrp group Yes No
NTE
 Notes and Comments No Yes
CTI
 Clinical Trial Identification No Yes
DSC
 Continuation Pointer No No

OSR_Q06 is the response to an OSQ_Q06 order status query. It acknowledges the query, echoes the query definition, and can return patient and order groups with current order status information.

The practical center of the response is ORC. ORC carries order identifiers, control/status fields, timing, and the filler-side view of the order state. The rest of the response gives enough context for the requester to match and display that status safely.

A small OSR Q06 example

MSH|^~\&|LAB|CITYLAB|EHR|CITYHOSP|20260717124003||OSR^Q06^OSR_Q06|OSR060001|P|2.5.1 MSA|AA|OSQ060001 QRD|20260717124000|R|I|OSQ060001|||1^RD|ORD448811^EHR|ORD|CITYHOSP QRF|LAB|20260715000000|20260717235959 PID|1||123456^^^CITYHOSP^MR||Smith^Jane^Anne^^Ms^^L ORC|SC|ORD448811^EHR|LAB998877^LAB|PG4488^EHR|IP||||20260717123500|||12345^Careful^Clara TQ1|1||||||20260715113000 RQD|1|718-7^Hemoglobin^LN|||1|TEST|LAB|LABHEM|LAB^City Lab^L|20260715 NTE|1||Specimen received and testing in progress

What systems do with it

The requester updates its local display or work queue with the filler-side status. If the response says the query was accepted but no order was found, that distinction should be visible to users rather than collapsed into a generic interface success.

Order status is a report, not an order control request. If the requester wants to cancel, hold, or change the order, it should send the appropriate order message rather than trying to infer action from OSR.

How to read the structure

The message starts with MSH, MSA, optional ERR, software details, notes, QRD, and QRF. The optional RESPONSE group can include patient context and one or more order groups. The order group starts with ORC, timing, an abstract order-detail slot, notes, and optional CTI clinical trial identification.

The order-detail slot depends on the original order family. In one profile it may behave like an OBR order; in another it may be requisition, pharmacy, diet, or tray detail. The local implementation guide decides.

Implementation traps

Do not rely on MSA alone. The message can parse and acknowledge while the order status content reports no match, an error, or a state the requester does not understand.

Also do not confuse ORC-1 order control with ORC-5 order status. A status response should tell you what the filler knows, not initiate a new action.

Reference notes

HL7 references describe Q06 as the OSQ/OSR query-response pair for order status. HL7 terminology notes that order status values report the filler application's known status at the time of the message and are not intended to initiate action.