HL7 ORC Segment: Common Order

The HL7 ORC segment (Common Order) carries order control information that is common across all types of orders — lab, radiology, pharmacy, and other ancillary services. It appears in ORM (order), ORU (result), and other order-related HL7 v2 message types, providing the order lifecycle metadata that links orders to results.

ORC Field Reference

Seq	Name	Type	Opt	Description
`★ ORC-1`	Order Control	ID	R	NW, CA, DC, HD, XO, SC, RE, etc.
Controls the order lifecycle: NW=New Order, CA=Cancel, DC=Discontinue, HD=Hold, SC=Status Changed, RE=Results.
`★ ORC-2`	Placer Order Number	EI	R	Order ID from ordering system
Order ID from CPOE. Must be echoed in all subsequent messages for this order. Links orders to results across systems.
`★ ORC-3`	Filler Order Number	EI	R	Order ID from fulfilling system
Accession number from the fulfilling system (lab/radiology). Critical for matching orders to results.
`ORC-4`	Placer Group Number	EI	O	Groups related orders together
Groups orders placed simultaneously (e.g., CBC + CMP + UA). Enables display grouping and specimen consolidation.
`★ ORC-5`	Order Status	ID	O	A, CA, CM, DC, ER, HD, IP, SC
A=Accepted, CA=Cancelled, CM=Completed, DC=Discontinued, ER=Error, HD=Hold, IP=In Process.
`ORC-6`	Response Flag	ID	O	E (Report exceptions only)
`ORC-7`	Quantity/Timing	TQ	O	Deprecated in v2.5+ — use TQ1
`ORC-8`	Parent Order	EIP	O	Link to parent order
`★ ORC-9`	Date/Time of Transaction	TS	O	When this order action occurred
`ORC-10`	Entered By	XCN	O	Person who entered the order
`ORC-11`	Verified By	XCN	O	Person who verified the order
`★ ORC-12`	Ordering Provider	XCN	O	Provider who placed the order
Takes precedence over OBR-16 per HL7 standard. XCN data type includes provider ID, name, and credential (e.g., ATT1234^SMITH^JANE^^^MD).
`ORC-13`	Enterer's Location	PL	O	Location where order was entered
`ORC-14`	Callback Phone Number	XTN	O	Contact for order questions
`ORC-15`	Order Effective Date/Time	TS	O	When the order becomes effective
`ORC-16`	Order Control Code Reason	CE	O	Reason for order action
`ORC-17`	Entering Organization	CE	O	Organization entering the order
`ORC-18`	Entering Device	CE	O	Device used to enter the order
`ORC-19`	Action By	XCN	O	Person responsible for order action
`ORC-20`	Advanced Beneficiary Notice	CE	O	ABN status
`ORC-21`	Ordering Facility Name	XON	O	Facility placing the order
`ORC-22`	Ordering Facility Address	XAD	O	Address of ordering facility
`ORC-23`	Ordering Facility Phone	XTN	O	Phone of ordering facility
`ORC-24`	Ordering Provider Address	XAD	O	Provider's address
`ORC-25`	Order Status Modifier	CWE	O	Additional status context
`ORC-29`	Order Type	CWE	O	Inpatient vs outpatient order

★ ORC-1 R

Order Control ID

NW, CA, DC, HD, XO, SC, RE, etc.

Controls the order lifecycle: NW=New Order, CA=Cancel, DC=Discontinue, HD=Hold, SC=Status Changed, RE=Results.

★ ORC-2 R

Placer Order Number EI

Order ID from ordering system

Order ID from CPOE. Must be echoed in all subsequent messages for this order. Links orders to results across systems.

★ ORC-3 R

Filler Order Number EI

Order ID from fulfilling system

Accession number from the fulfilling system (lab/radiology). Critical for matching orders to results.

ORC-4 O

Placer Group Number EI

Groups related orders together

Groups orders placed simultaneously (e.g., CBC + CMP + UA). Enables display grouping and specimen consolidation.

★ ORC-5 O

Order Status ID

A, CA, CM, DC, ER, HD, IP, SC

A=Accepted, CA=Cancelled, CM=Completed, DC=Discontinued, ER=Error, HD=Hold, IP=In Process.

ORC-6 O

Response Flag ID

E (Report exceptions only)

ORC-7 O

Quantity/Timing TQ

Deprecated in v2.5+ — use TQ1

ORC-8 O

Parent Order EIP

Link to parent order

★ ORC-9 O

Date/Time of Transaction TS

When this order action occurred

ORC-10 O

Entered By XCN

Person who entered the order

ORC-11 O

Verified By XCN

Person who verified the order

★ ORC-12 O

Ordering Provider XCN

Provider who placed the order

Takes precedence over OBR-16 per HL7 standard. XCN data type includes provider ID, name, and credential (e.g., ATT1234^SMITH^JANE^^^MD).

ORC-13 O

Enterer's Location PL

Location where order was entered

ORC-14 O

Callback Phone Number XTN

Contact for order questions

ORC-15 O

Order Effective Date/Time TS

When the order becomes effective

ORC-16 O

Order Control Code Reason CE

Reason for order action

ORC-17 O

Entering Organization CE

Organization entering the order

ORC-18 O

Entering Device CE

Device used to enter the order

ORC-19 O

Action By XCN

Person responsible for order action

ORC-20 O

Advanced Beneficiary Notice CE

ABN status

ORC-21 O

Ordering Facility Name XON

Facility placing the order

ORC-22 O

Ordering Facility Address XAD

Address of ordering facility

ORC-23 O

Ordering Facility Phone XTN

Phone of ordering facility

ORC-24 O

Ordering Provider Address XAD

Provider's address

ORC-25 O

Order Status Modifier CWE

Additional status context

ORC-29 O

Order Type CWE

Inpatient vs outpatient order

R = Required, O = Optional, C = Conditional, W = Withdrawn (backward compatibility only)

ORC-1: Order Control Codes

Code	Name	Direction	Description
NW	New Order	Placer → Filler	Initial order placement
OK	Order Accepted	Filler → Placer	Order received and accepted
CA	Cancel Request	Placer → Filler	Request to cancel order
OC	Order Cancelled	Filler → Placer	Confirmation of cancellation
CR	Cancel Request (Filler)	Filler → Placer	Filler requests cancellation
DC	Discontinue	Placer → Filler	Stop a continuous order
HD	Hold	Placer → Filler	Temporarily suspend order
RL	Release	Placer → Filler	Release a held order
XO	Change/Update	Placer → Filler	Modify existing order
XR	Changed as Requested	Filler → Placer	Confirmation of change
SC	Status Changed	Either	Order status update
RE	Results	Filler → Placer	Observations for this order
RU	Replaced Unsolicited	Filler → Placer	Replacement result
SN	Send Number	Filler → Placer	Filler order number assignment
NA	Number Assigned	Filler → Placer	Alternative to SN
PA	Parent Order	—	Links child to parent order

ORC-5: Order Status Codes

Code	Meaning	Description
A	Accepted	Order accepted by filler
CA	Cancelled	Order cancelled
CM	Completed	Order fully resulted
DC	Discontinued	Continuous order stopped
ER	Error	Order processing error
HD	On Hold	Order temporarily suspended
IP	In Process	Order being worked on
RP	Replaced	Order replaced by new order
SC	Status Changed	Intermediate status change

Order Lifecycle Example

A typical lab order flows through these ORC-1 / ORC-5 transitions:

1. Placer sends:   ORC-1=NW,  ORC-5=(empty)    → New order
2. Filler responds: ORC-1=OK,  ORC-5=A          → Accepted
3. Filler updates:  ORC-1=SC,  ORC-5=IP         → Specimen received, in process
4. Filler results:  ORC-1=RE,  ORC-5=CM         → Results available, complete

For a cancelled order:

1. Placer sends:   ORC-1=NW,  ORC-5=(empty)    → New order
2. Filler responds: ORC-1=OK,  ORC-5=A          → Accepted
3. Placer cancels:  ORC-1=CA,  ORC-5=(empty)    → Cancel request
4. Filler confirms: ORC-1=OC,  ORC-5=CA         → Order cancelled

Key Implementation Considerations

Placer vs Filler Numbers

Field	Assigned By	Example	Purpose
ORC-2	Ordering system	ORD5678^EPIC	Order ID in CPOE
ORC-3	Fulfilling system	FIL9012^LAB_SYS	Accession number

Critical rule: Once assigned, these numbers must be echoed in all subsequent messages for the same order. The placer number links orders to results across systems.

ORC-4: Placer Group Number

Groups related orders placed simultaneously. When a provider orders CBC, CMP, and UA together, all three ORM messages carry the same ORC-4 group number. This allows:

Display grouping in the EHR (“Orders placed at 2:00 PM”)
Batch processing in the receiving system
Specimen consolidation (multiple tests from one draw)

ORC-12: Ordering Provider

ORC-12 carries the ordering provider’s identifier and name. This field is crucial for:

Result routing: Directing results back to the provider who ordered the test
Compliance: CMS and Joint Commission require orders to be attributable to a licensed provider
Audit trails: Tracking who ordered what for quality and safety reviews

The XCN (Extended Composite Name) data type includes the provider ID, name, and credential:

ATT1234^SMITH^JANE^^^MD

Relationship Between ORC and OBR

ORC and OBR often carry overlapping information (ordering provider, order numbers, timing). The general rule:

ORC: Order-level metadata (control codes, status, lifecycle)
OBR: Test-specific details (what was ordered, specimen, results)

When both segments contain the same field (e.g., ordering provider), ORC takes precedence per the HL7 standard. However, many implementations populate both for maximum compatibility.

HL7 ORM Messages ORM message structure — where ORC segments drive order lifecycle management.

HL7 ORU Messages ORU message structure — ORC segments paired with results in observation messages.

HL7 Workbench Parse and validate HL7 messages with segment highlighting and field lookup.

HL7 Resource Center Message types, segments, reference guides, and integration tools.