HL7 RGS Resource Group
HL7 field reference RGS 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
RGS groups resources in scheduling messages so services, personnel, locations, and general resources can be tied together.
The standard describes RGS this way: The RGS segment is used to identify relationships between resources identified for a scheduled event. This segment can be used, on a site specified basis, to identify groups of resources that are used together within a scheduled event, or to describe some other relationship between resources. To specify related groups of resources within a message, begin each group with an RGS segment, and then follow that RGS with one or more of the Appointment Information segments (AIG, AIL, AIS, or AIP). If a message does not require any grouping of resources, then specify a single RGS in the message, and follow it with all of the Appointment Information segments for the scheduled event. (At least one RGS segment is required in each message - even if no grouping of resources is required - to allow parsers to properly understand the message.)
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 RGS in SIU_S12 - Notification of new appointment booking, SQM_S25 - Schedule query message and response, SQR_S25 - Schedule query message and response, and SRM_S01 - Request new appointment booking, 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.
RGS-1 is the sequence number for this RGS segment within its repeating group. It keeps multiple RGS lines in order; it is not the business identifier for the care-plan or referral workflow.
RGS-2 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 0206; many real interfaces narrow that list further, so follow the receiver's implementation guide.
RGS-3 identifies the Resource Group 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.