HL7 INV Inventory Detail
HL7 field reference INV 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
| Field | Name | Required | Repeatable | Type | Table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INV.1 | Substance Identifier | Yes | No | CE | 0451 |
| INV.2 | Substance Status | Yes | Yes | CE | 0383 |
| INV.3 | Substance Type | No | No | CE | 0384 |
| INV.4 | Inventory Container Identifier | No | No | CE | |
| INV.5 | Container Carrier Identifier | No | No | CE | |
| INV.6 | Position on Carrier | No | No | CE | |
| INV.7 | Initial Quantity | No | No | NM | |
| INV.8 | Current Quantity | No | No | NM | |
| INV.9 | Available Quantity | No | No | NM | |
| INV.10 | Consumption Quantity | No | No | NM | |
| INV.11 | Quantity Units | No | No | CE | |
| INV.12 | Expiration Date/Time | No | No | TS | |
| INV.13 | First Used Date/Time | No | No | TS | |
| INV.14 | On Board Stability Duration | No | No | TQ | |
| INV.15 | Test/Fluid Identifier(s) | No | Yes | CE | |
| INV.16 | Manufacturer Lot Number | No | No | ST | |
| INV.17 | Manufacturer Identifier | No | No | CE | 0385 |
| INV.18 | Supplier Identifier | No | No | CE | 0386 |
| INV.19 | On Board Stability Time | No | No | CQ | |
| INV.20 | Target Value | No | No | CQ |
INV records inventory detail for stock, lots, manufacturers, quantities, and availability.
The standard describes INV this way: The inventory detail segment is the data necessary to track the inventory of substances (e.g. reagent, tips, waste) on equipment.
Master-file segments update reference data rather than describing a single patient event. They define locations, staff, providers, test catalogs, charge items, inventory items, languages, certificates, and other shared records.
Because many downstream messages depend on this data, small changes here can have large effects. Use stable identifiers, effective dates, action codes, and clear ownership rules instead of treating a master-file feed like a loose spreadsheet export.
The v2.5.1 structures show INV in INR_U06 - Automated equipment inventory request, INU_U05 - Automated equipment inventory update, OUL_R22 - OUL - Unsolicited Specimen Oriented Observation message, and OUL_R23 - OUL - Unsolicited Specimen Container Oriented Observation message, and 1 other message structure. 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.
INV-1 identifies the Substance Identifier for this master-file record. Send the identifier that the receiving system actually keys on, and keep the assigning authority or coding system visible when the datatype supports it.
The generated panel links this to HL7 table 0451; many real interfaces narrow that list further, so follow the receiver's implementation guide.
INV-2 tells the receiver the state of this master-file record. Status fields often drive workflow branches, so use the agreed code and do not infer a status just because another field looks complete.
The coded value should follow HL7 table 0383 or the narrower table in the local profile.
INV-3 qualifies the master-file record 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 0384. A local code without an agreed coding system is a small ambiguity that becomes a mapping problem later.
INV-4 identifies the Inventory Container Identifier for this master-file record. Send the identifier that the receiving system actually keys on, and keep the assigning authority or coding system visible when the datatype supports it.
INV-5 identifies the Container Carrier Identifier for this master-file record. Send the identifier that the receiving system actually keys on, and keep the assigning authority or coding system visible when the datatype supports it.
INV-6 describes specimen or container handling. This is not patient identity and not order identity; it is the physical or analyzer-side detail needed to move, test, store, or track the specimen correctly.
INV-7 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.
INV-8 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.
INV-9 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.
INV-10 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.
INV-11 supplies the units that make the companion numeric field meaningful. Units should be coded consistently, especially for medication, lab, specimen, and billing quantities.
INV-12 is a timing field. Send the real source-system precision, do not pad unknown dates or times, and agree how timezone offsets are handled when time of day matters.
For effective and end dates, make the boundary rule explicit. Receivers need to know whether the value is inclusive, exclusive, planned, actual, or merely informational.
INV-13 is a timing field. Send the real source-system precision, do not pad unknown dates or times, and agree how timezone offsets are handled when time of day matters.
INV-14 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.
INV-15 identifies the Test/Fluid Identifier(s) for this master-file record. Send the identifier that the receiving system actually keys on, and keep the assigning authority or coding system visible when the datatype supports it.
If there are several identifiers, use repetitions deliberately and make each repeat self-explanatory rather than relying on position alone.
INV-16 identifies the Manufacturer Lot Number for this master-file record. Send the identifier that the receiving system actually keys on, and keep the assigning authority or coding system visible when the datatype supports it.
INV-17 identifies the Manufacturer Identifier for this master-file record. Send the identifier that the receiving system actually keys on, and keep the assigning authority or coding system visible when the datatype supports it.
The generated panel links this to HL7 table 0385; many real interfaces narrow that list further, so follow the receiver's implementation guide.
INV-18 identifies the Supplier Identifier for this master-file record. Send the identifier that the receiving system actually keys on, and keep the assigning authority or coding system visible when the datatype supports it.
The generated panel links this to HL7 table 0386; many real interfaces narrow that list further, so follow the receiver's implementation guide.
INV-19 is a timing field. Send the real source-system precision, do not pad unknown dates or times, and agree how timezone offsets are handled when time of day matters.
INV-20 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.
Related links
- MFI - Master File Identification
- MFE - Master File Entry
- MFA - Master File Acknowledgment
- LOC - Location Identification
- STF - Staff Identification
- PRA - Practitioner Detail
- OM1 - General Segment
- CDM - Charge Description Master
- INR_U06 - Automated equipment inventory request
- INU_U05 - Automated equipment inventory update