HL7 RSP_K31 (Dispense History Response) | Integration Soup HL7 Reference Guide

HL7 RSP_K31 Dispense History Response

A pharmacy-heavy query response that returns what was dispensed, not just what was ordered.

HL7 message structure RSP_K31 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
QAK	Query Acknowledgment	Yes	No
QPD	Query Parameter Definition	Yes	No
RCP	Response Control Parameter	Yes	No
RSP_K31.RESPONSE	Response group	Yes	Yes
RSP_K31.PATIENT	Patient group	No	No
PID	Patient Identification	Yes	No
PD1	Patient Additional Demographic	No	No
NTE	Notes and Comments	No	Yes
AL1	Patient Allergy Information	No	Yes
RSP_K31.PATIENT_VISIT	Patient Visit group	No	No
PV1	Patient Visit	Yes	No
PV2	Patient Visit - Additional Information	No	No
RSP_K31.ORDER	Order group	Yes	Yes
ORC	Common Order	Yes	No
RSP_K31.TIMING	Timing group	No	Yes
TQ1	Timing/Quantity	Yes	No
TQ2	Timing/Quantity Relationship	No	Yes
RSP_K31.ORDER_DETAIL	Order Detail group	No	No
RXO	Pharmacy/Treatment Order	Yes	No
NTE	Notes and Comments	No	Yes
RXR	Pharmacy/Treatment Route	Yes	Yes
RSP_K31.COMPONENTS	Components group	No	Yes
RXC	Pharmacy/Treatment Component Order	Yes	No
NTE	Notes and Comments	No	Yes
RSP_K31.ENCODING	Encoding group	No	No
RXE	Pharmacy/Treatment Encoded Order	Yes	No
RSP_K31.TIMING_ENCODED	Timing Encoded group	Yes	Yes
TQ1	Timing/Quantity	Yes	No
TQ2	Timing/Quantity Relationship	No	Yes
RXR	Pharmacy/Treatment Route	Yes	Yes
RXC	Pharmacy/Treatment Component Order	No	Yes
RXD	Pharmacy/Treatment Dispense	Yes	No
RXR	Pharmacy/Treatment Route	Yes	Yes
RXC	Pharmacy/Treatment Component Order	No	Yes
RSP_K31.OBSERVATION	Observation group	Yes	Yes
OBX	Observation/Result	No	No
NTE	Notes and Comments	No	Yes
DSC	Continuation Pointer	No	No

RSP_K31 is a dispense history response. It is the answer side of a pharmacy query where the requester needs historical dispense details for a patient, medication, or pharmacy workflow. Compared with simple query responses, it carries a full patient/order/pharmacy shape.

The message can be dense because dispense history has to connect patient identity, order identifiers, timing, medication details, route, actual dispense information, components, and optional observations. That is exactly why it deserves a careful implementation guide rather than a quick "response with RXD" note.

A small RSP K31 example

MSH|^~\&|PHARMACY|CITYHOSP|MEDREC|CITYHOSP|20260717113000||RSP^K31^RSP_K31|RSP310001|P|2.5.1 MSA|AA|QBP310001 QAK|Q310001|OK|Q31^Dispense history^HL7nnn|1 QPD|Q31^Dispense history^HL7nnn|Q310001|123456^^^CITYHOSP^MR RCP|I|10^RD PID|1||123456^^^CITYHOSP^MR||Smith^Jane^Anne^^Ms^^L||19800314|F ORC|RE|RXO1001^CITYHOSP|RXD9001^PHARM TQ1|1||||||20260715080000|20260722080000 RXD|1|8756^Amoxicillin 500mg capsule^RXNORM|20260715103000|21|CAP|RXD9001^PHARM|Take one capsule three times daily RXR|PO^Oral^HL70162 OBX|1|CWE|RXHISTSTAT^Dispense status^L||CM^Completed^HL70322

What workflow it represents

A requester asks for pharmacy dispense history and the pharmacy or medication record system returns one or more response groups. The requester may use it for medication reconciliation, clinical review, refill support, audit, or a downstream medication history display.

This is not the same as an order message. An order says what was requested or authorized. RSP_K31 is about the response to a query for dispense history, so the important question is what the pharmacy says actually happened.

How to read the structure

The top of the message combines response control and query correlation: MSH, MSA, optional ERR, QAK, QPD, and RCP. Those segments tell the requester what query was answered and whether the answer is complete or limited.

Each response contains an optional patient group with PID, optional PD1, notes, allergies, and visit details. The required order group starts with ORC and can include timing, order detail, encoded order, dispense, route, component, and observation information.

Pharmacy detail that receivers care about

RXD is the practical center of dispense history. It carries the dispensed drug, dispense date/time, quantity, units, dispense number, and related dispense details. RXR gives route, which matters when a medication name alone is not enough. RXC can describe components when the product is compound or needs component-level detail.

Optional OBX segments are useful for status, clinical notes, adherence indicators, or local facts that do not fit cleanly in the RX segments. Use them carefully and code OBX-3 well, because pharmacy history quickly becomes hard to reconcile when every site invents different observation names.

Implementation traps

Do not collapse order identifiers and dispense identifiers into one local field. ORC placer and filler IDs, RXD dispense numbers, and pharmacy transaction IDs answer different questions during reconciliation and support calls.

Also be clear about what counts as "history." Some responders return only completed dispenses. Others include partial fills, canceled fills, transferred prescriptions, or administrations. QAK may say the query worked while the business meaning still differs from what the requester expected.

Reference notes

The HL7 v2+ refactored RSP_K31 structure shows a required repeating response group with optional patient details and required pharmacy order detail, including ORC, timing, RXO/RXE/RXD, RXR, RXC, OBX, and DSC for continuation.