Full definition
ADT (Admission, Discharge, Transfer) is the hospital data flow capturing every change in patient status — admissions, discharges, transfers between units, registrations, demographic updates. The HL7 v2 ADT message family (ADT^A01 admission, ADT^A03 discharge, ADT^A02 transfer, etc.) is the de-facto standard for ADT data exchange.
ADT messages drive downstream hospital workflows: bed management (which beds are occupied), census reporting (daily patient count), billing (admission triggers billable services), pharmacy (medication reconciliation on admission), nursing assignment (staffing per unit), and external systems (payer notification of admission, public-health registries, post-discharge care coordination).
In modern FHIR-based architectures, the equivalent flows via FHIR Encounter resources. Most production hospital integrations still use HL7 v2 ADT for these flows; FHIR Encounter is rising but legacy ADT remains dominant.
For MOVO-X integration with hospital systems: ADT events drive the queue, billing, and patient-flow systems. We integrate via HL7 v2 ADT (legacy hospital integration) and FHIR Encounter (modern integration).
Where adt (admission, discharge, transfer) is used
- Hospital admission registration
- Bed management systems
- Hospital census reporting
- Inter-unit patient transfers
- Payer admission notifications
- Public-health registries
- Post-discharge care coordination
Types of adt (admission, discharge, transfer)
ADT^A01
Admit/visit notification.
ADT^A02
Transfer a patient.
ADT^A03
Discharge/end visit.
ADT^A04
Register a patient (outpatient).
ADT^A08
Update patient information.
FHIR Encounter
Modern equivalent for FHIR-native hospitals.
Quantified benefits
- ▸Real-time hospital operational visibility
- ▸Trigger for downstream billing and workflows
- ▸Coordination across hospital departments
- ▸External-system event notification
Frequently asked
Is ADT only for hospitals?+
Originally hospital-focused. Outpatient ADT (ADT^A04 register) extends to clinic visits in some implementations. Modern FHIR Encounter spans both contexts.
Does MOVO-X consume ADT messages?+
Yes for hospital deployments. ADT events drive the queue, registration, and patient-flow systems. HL7 v2 or FHIR depending on hospital architecture.
ADT in real-time vs batch?+
Modern ADT is real-time (sub-second). Batch ADT exists in legacy environments but is rare.
What about discharge planning?+
ADT^A03 discharge messages trigger discharge-planning workflows — medication reconciliation, follow-up appointment scheduling, care-coordination handoff. Modern platforms automate much of this.