ADT^A29 — Delete Person Information
Inverse of A28: deletion of an MPI identity created in error, before any visit is attached. MPI manager's data quality tool.
Purpose
A29 physically (or logically, depending on receiver policy) removes a person identity across all consumer systems. Typical cases: accidental creation (test record left in production), duplicate not yet merged, fictitious identity deletion.
A29 has NO PV1 — it is the inverse of A28. If the person already has attached visits, use A23 / A11 on the visits first, then A29.
Segment structure
Structure ADT_A21 shared with A21, A22, A29, A52, A53. MSH, EVN, PID
mandatory. PD1 optional.
Real-world example
Deletion of a test identity left in the production environment:
MSH|^~\&|MPI|HOSP01|EHR|CLINIC02|20260518090000||ADT^A29^ADT_A21|MSG00029001|P|2.5.1|||AL|NE
EVN|A29|20260518090000|||REG002^Manager^MPI^^^MS.|ERRONEOUS REGISTRATION REMOVAL
PID|1||DEL100099^^^HOSP^MR||TEST^DUPLICATE^^^MR.||19850301|MAcknowledgment (ACK)
MSH|^~\&|EHR|CLINIC02|MPI|HOSP01|20260518090001||ACK^A29^ACK|ACK00029001|P|2.5.1
MSA|AA|MSG00029001Common errors
- A29 sent for a patient with active visits: some systems reject or create orphans. Always clean up first.
- A29 vs A23 confusion: A23 deletes a Patient (with historical visits), A29 deletes a Person without any visit.
- Unqualified PID-3: without identifier type, the receiver may delete the wrong duplicate.
Related ADT events
| Code | Trigger event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A28 | Add Person Information | Inverse of A29. |
| A29 | Delete Person Information | This page. |
| A23 | Delete Patient Record | Patient deletion (with visit history). |
| A31 | Update Person Information | Prefer update if the identity is correct. |