HL7 BLG Billing
HL7 field reference BLG fields from HL7 v2.5.1 Show fields
These are the generated fields for the version selected at the top of the page. The document stays the same, but the reference panel follows that version.
Fields
BLG carries billing context attached to an order or service, especially where an order message needs account or charge handling alongside the clinical request.
Billing segments are where clinical activity starts turning into charge, reimbursement, and account data. They can look administrative, but a bad code or account reference can cause real downstream cleanup.
Treat charge codes, revenue codes, grouping values, effective dates, and account identifiers as controlled data. Free-text labels are useful for humans, but receivers usually post, price, or group from the coded values.
The v2.5.1 structures show BLG in OMB_O27 - OMB - Blood product order, OMG_O19 - OMG - General clinical order, OML_O21 - OML - Laboratory order, and OML_O33 - OML - Laboratory order for multiple orders related to a single specimen, and 6 other message structures. That tells you where it can appear, but the implementation guide still decides which optional fields are meaningful.
For practical interface work, read the generated field panel for datatype, required, repeatable, and table details, then use the notes below to decide what the field should mean in the receiving workflow.
BLG-1 carries a measured, counted, priced, or dosed value. A number without the expected unit, currency, or companion qualifier is much easier to misread than an empty field.
The generated panel links this to HL7 table 0100; many real interfaces narrow that list further, so follow the receiver's implementation guide.
BLG-2 qualifies the billing workflow rather than identifying it. This is the sort of field receivers often use for branching, filtering, or display grouping.
Use the agreed value set, starting from HL7 table 0122. A local code without an agreed coding system is a small ambiguity that becomes a mapping problem later.
BLG-3 is used for reconciliation. The receiver may compare it with the segments, batches, messages, rows, or items actually received, so do not populate it from a stale estimate.
BLG-4 qualifies the billing workflow rather than identifying it. This is the sort of field receivers often use for branching, filtering, or display grouping.
Use the agreed value set, starting from HL7 table 0475. A local code without an agreed coding system is a small ambiguity that becomes a mapping problem later.