Encounter | Medplum

An interaction between a patient and healthcare provider(s) for the purpose of providing healthcare service(s) or assessing the health status of a patient. Refer to the US Core Encounter Profile and the US Core Condition Encounter profile.

Elements

Name	Required	Type	Description
identifier		Identifier[]	Identifier(s) by which this encounter is known Details Identifier(s) by which this encounter is known.
status	✓	code	planned
statusHistory		EncounterStatusHistory[]	List of past encounter statuses Details The status history permits the encounter resource to contain the status history without needing to read through the historical versions of the resource, or even have the server store them. The current status is always found in the current version of the resource, not the status history.
id		string	Unique id for inter-element referencing Details Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
extension		Extension[]	Additional content defined by implementations Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
modifierExtension		Extension[]	Extensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions. Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself). There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
status	✓	code	planned
period	✓	Period	The time that the episode was in the specified status Details The time that the episode was in the specified status.
class	✓	Coding	Classification of patient encounter Details Concepts representing classification of patient encounter such as ambulatory (outpatient), inpatient, emergency, home health or others due to local variations.
classHistory		EncounterClassHistory[]	List of past encounter classes Details The class history permits the tracking of the encounters transitions without needing to go through the resource history. This would be used for a case where an admission starts of as an emergency encounter, then transitions into an inpatient scenario. Doing this and not restarting a new encounter ensures that any lab/diagnostic results can more easily follow the patient and not require re-processing and not get lost or cancelled during a kind of discharge from emergency to inpatient.
id		string	Unique id for inter-element referencing Details Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
extension		Extension[]	Additional content defined by implementations Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
modifierExtension		Extension[]	Extensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions. Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself). There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
class	✓	Coding	inpatient
period	✓	Period	The time that the episode was in the specified class Details The time that the episode was in the specified class.
type		CodeableConcept[]	Specific type of encounter Details Specific type of encounter (e.g. e-mail consultation, surgical day-care, skilled nursing, rehabilitation). Since there are many ways to further classify encounters, this element is 0...*.
serviceType		CodeableConcept	Specific type of service Details Broad categorization of the service that is to be provided (e.g. cardiology).
priority		CodeableConcept	Indicates the urgency of the encounter Details Indicates the urgency of the encounter.
subject		Reference< Patient	Group >
episodeOfCare		Reference< EpisodeOfCare >[]	Episode(s) of care that this encounter should be recorded against Details Where a specific encounter should be classified as a part of a specific episode(s) of care this field should be used. This association can facilitate grouping of related encounters together for a specific purpose, such as government reporting, issue tracking, association via a common problem. The association is recorded on the encounter as these are typically created after the episode of care and grouped on entry rather than editing the episode of care to append another encounter to it (the episode of care could span years).
basedOn		Reference< ServiceRequest >[]	The ServiceRequest that initiated this encounter Details The request this encounter satisfies (e.g. incoming referral or procedure request).
participant		EncounterParticipant[]	List of participants involved in the encounter Details The list of people responsible for providing the service.
id		string	Unique id for inter-element referencing Details Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
extension		Extension[]	Additional content defined by implementations Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
modifierExtension		Extension[]	Extensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions. Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself). There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
type		CodeableConcept[]	Role of participant in encounter Details Role of participant in encounter. The participant type indicates how an individual participates in an encounter. It includes non-practitioner participants, and for practitioners this is to describe the action type in the context of this encounter (e.g. Admitting Dr, Attending Dr, Translator, Consulting Dr). This is different to the practitioner roles which are functional roles, derived from terms of employment, education, licensing, etc.
period		Period	Period of time during the encounter that the participant participated Details The period of time that the specified participant participated in the encounter. These can overlap or be sub-sets of the overall encounter's period.
individual		Reference< Practitioner	PractitionerRole
appointment		Reference< Appointment >[]	The appointment that scheduled this encounter Details The appointment that scheduled this encounter.
period		Period	The start and end time of the encounter Details The start and end time of the encounter. If not (yet) known, the end of the Period may be omitted.
length		Duration	Quantity of time the encounter lasted (less time absent) Details Quantity of time the encounter lasted. This excludes the time during leaves of absence. May differ from the time the Encounter.period lasted because of leave of absence.
reasonCode		CodeableConcept[]	Coded reason the encounter takes place Details Reason the encounter takes place, expressed as a code. For admissions, this can be used for a coded admission diagnosis. For systems that need to know which was the primary diagnosis, these will be marked with the standard extension primaryDiagnosis (which is a sequence value rather than a flag, 1 = primary diagnosis).
reasonReference		Reference< Condition	Procedure
diagnosis		EncounterDiagnosis[]	The list of diagnosis relevant to this encounter Details The list of diagnosis relevant to this encounter.
id		string	Unique id for inter-element referencing Details Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
extension		Extension[]	Additional content defined by implementations Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
modifierExtension		Extension[]	Extensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions. Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself). There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
condition	✓	Reference< Condition	Procedure >
use		CodeableConcept	Role that this diagnosis has within the encounter (e.g. admission, billing, discharge …) Details Role that this diagnosis has within the encounter (e.g. admission, billing, discharge …).
rank		positiveInt	Ranking of the diagnosis (for each role type) Details Ranking of the diagnosis (for each role type).
account		Reference< Account >[]	The set of accounts that may be used for billing for this Encounter Details The set of accounts that may be used for billing for this Encounter. The billing system may choose to allocate billable items associated with the Encounter to different referenced Accounts based on internal business rules.
hospitalization		EncounterHospitalization	Details about the admission to a healthcare service Details Details about the admission to a healthcare service. An Encounter may cover more than just the inpatient stay. Contexts such as outpatients, community clinics, and aged care facilities are also included. The duration recorded in the period of this encounter covers the entire scope of this hospitalization record.
id		string	Unique id for inter-element referencing Details Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
extension		Extension[]	Additional content defined by implementations Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
modifierExtension		Extension[]	Extensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions. Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself). There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
preAdmissionIdentifier		Identifier	Pre-admission identifier Details Pre-admission identifier.
origin		Reference< Location	Organization >
admitSource		CodeableConcept	From where patient was admitted (physician referral, transfer) Details From where patient was admitted (physician referral, transfer).
reAdmission		CodeableConcept	The type of hospital re-admission that has occurred (if any). If the value is absent, then this is not identified as a readmission Details Whether this hospitalization is a readmission and why if known.
dietPreference		CodeableConcept[]	Diet preferences reported by the patient Details Diet preferences reported by the patient. For example, a patient may request both a dairy-free and nut-free diet preference (not mutually exclusive).
specialCourtesy		CodeableConcept[]	Special courtesies (VIP, board member) Details Special courtesies (VIP, board member).
specialArrangement		CodeableConcept[]	Wheelchair, translator, stretcher, etc. Details Any special requests that have been made for this hospitalization encounter, such as the provision of specific equipment or other things.
destination		Reference< Location	Organization >
dischargeDisposition		CodeableConcept	Category or kind of location after discharge Details Category or kind of location after discharge.
location		EncounterLocation[]	List of locations where the patient has been Details List of locations where the patient has been during this encounter. Virtual encounters can be recorded in the Encounter by specifying a location reference to a location of type "kind" such as "client's home" and an encounter.class = "virtual".
id		string	Unique id for inter-element referencing Details Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
extension		Extension[]	Additional content defined by implementations Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
modifierExtension		Extension[]	Extensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized Details May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions. Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself). There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.
location	✓	Reference< Location >	Location the encounter takes place Details The location where the encounter takes place.
status		code	planned
physicalType		CodeableConcept	The physical type of the location (usually the level in the location hierarchy - bed room ward etc.) Details This will be used to specify the required levels (bed/ward/room/etc.) desired to be recorded to simplify either messaging or query. This information is de-normalized from the Location resource to support the easier understanding of the encounter resource and processing in messaging or query. There may be many levels in the hierarchy, and this may only pick specific levels that are required for a specific usage scenario.
period		Period	Time period during which the patient was present at the location Details Time period during which the patient was present at the location.
serviceProvider		Reference< Organization >	The organization (facility) responsible for this encounter Details The organization that is primarily responsible for this Encounter's services. This MAY be the same as the organization on the Patient record, however it could be different, such as if the actor performing the services was from an external organization (which may be billed separately) for an external consultation. Refer to the example bundle showing an abbreviated set of Encounters for a colonoscopy.
partOf		Reference< Encounter >	Another Encounter this encounter is part of Details Another Encounter of which this encounter is a part of (administratively or in time). This is also used for associating a child's encounter back to the mother's encounter. Refer to the Notes section in the Patient resource for further details.