HL7 PTH Pathway
HL7 field reference PTH 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
PTH describes a care pathway assignment or pathway event.
The standard describes PTH this way: The pathway segment contains the data necessary to add, update, correct, and delete from the record pathways that are utilized to address an individual's health care.
These segments describe clinical goals, problems, roles, referrals, requisitions, incidents, variances, and resource groupings that sit around the core patient/order/result traffic.
They are most useful when responsibilities, dates, identifiers, and status values are kept explicit. Otherwise they become narrative fragments that are hard to act on.
The v2.5.1 structures show PTH in PGL_PC6 - PGL - PC/ goal add, PPG_PCG - Oriented) add, PPP_PCB - Oriented) add, and PPR_PC1 - PPR - PC/ problem add, and 4 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.
PTH-1 says what action is being taken for this segment or record: add, update, delete, cancel, clear, or another profile-defined operation. It needs to agree with the message trigger and the previous state.
The generated panel links this to HL7 table 0287; many real interfaces narrow that list further, so follow the receiver's implementation guide.
PTH-2 identifies the Pathway ID for this care-plan or referral workflow. Send the identifier that the receiving system actually keys on, and keep the assigning authority or coding system visible when the datatype supports it.
PTH-3 identifies the Pathway Instance ID for this care-plan or referral workflow. Send the identifier that the receiving system actually keys on, and keep the assigning authority or coding system visible when the datatype supports it.
PTH-4 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.
PTH-5 tells the receiver the state of this care-plan or referral workflow. Status fields often drive workflow branches, so use the agreed code and do not infer a status just because another field looks complete.
PTH-6 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.