ADT^A20 — Bed Status Update
The bed changes status independently of any patient: A20 informs bed-management tools (housekeeping in progress, out-of-service, repair, isolation).
Purpose
A20 is a patient-less event: it carries only a location's status (bed, room). Pivot
in hospital capacity tools (TeleTracking, Epic Grand Central, Cerner Capacity
Management). Typical statuses: C Closed, H Housekeeping,
O Occupied, U Unoccupied, I Isolated,
K Contaminated.
Segment structure
Structure ADT_A20: MSH, EVN, NPU (Bed Status Update).
- NPU-1: location (PL — Point of Care, Room, Bed, Facility).
- NPU-2: bed status (table 0116 — Bed Status).
Real-world example
Bed 205A in Cardiology HOSP01 goes to status C (Closed):
MSH|^~\&|HIS|HOSP01|EHR|CLINIC02|20260516143000||ADT^A20^ADT_A20|MSG00020001|P|2.5.1|||AL|NE
EVN|A20|20260516143000|||DRJONES^Jones^Sarah^^^DR.
NPU|MED^205^A^HOSP01|CAcknowledgment (ACK)
MSH|^~\&|EHR|CLINIC02|HIS|HOSP01|20260516143001||ACK^A20^ACK|ACK00020001|P|2.5.1
MSA|AA|MSG00020001Common errors
- NPU-2 off-table: non-standard local status code — bed management cannot interpret it.
- A20 sent on an occupied bed: contradiction — use A02 to move, A03 to free.
- NPU-1 without facility: multi-site ambiguity — always qualify
service^room^bed^facility.
Related ADT events
| Code | Trigger event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A20 | Bed Status Update | This page. |
| A21 | Patient Goes on a Leave of Absence | Patient absent but bed reserved. |
| A22 | Patient Returns from Leave of Absence | LOA return. |