---
type: "codesystem"
title: "Reference Handling Policy"
codesystem: "reference-handling-policy"
---
# Reference Handling Policy

- **Official URL**: http://hl7.org/fhir/reference-handling-policy
- **Version**: 6.0.0
- **Status**: active
- **Name**: ReferenceHandlingPolicy
- **Title**: Reference Handling Policy
- **Publisher**: HL7 (FHIR Project)
- **Description**: A set of flags that defines how references are supported.
- **Case Sensitive**: true
- **Content**: complete

## Concepts

| Code | Display | Definition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| literal | Literal References | The server supports and populates Literal references (i.e. using Reference.reference) where they are known (this code does not guarantee that all references are literal; see 'enforced'). |
| logical | Logical References | The server allows logical references (i.e. using Reference.identifier). |
| resolves | Resolves References | The server will attempt to resolve logical references to literal references - i.e. converting Reference.identifier to Reference.reference (if resolution fails, the server may still accept resources; see logical). |
| enforced | Reference Integrity Enforced | The server enforces that references have integrity - e.g. it ensures that references can always be resolved. This is typically the case for clinical record systems, but often not the case for middleware/proxy systems. |
| local | Local References Only | The server does not support references that point to other servers. |

## CodeSystem XML



```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<CodeSystem xmlns="http://hl7.org/fhir">
  <id value="reference-handling-policy"/>
  <extension url="http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-wg">
    <valueCode value="fhir"/>
  </extension>
  <extension url="http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-standards-status">
    <valueCode value="normative"/>
  </extension>
  <extension url="http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-fmm">
    <valueInteger value="5"/>
  </extension>
  <url value="http://hl7.org/fhir/reference-handling-policy"/>
  <identifier>
    <system value="urn:ietf:rfc:3986"/>
    <value value="urn:oid:2.16.840.1.113883.4.642.4.203"/>
  </identifier>
  <identifier>
    <use value="old"/>
    <system value="urn:ietf:rfc:3986"/>
    <value value="urn:oid:2.16.840.1.113883.4.642.1.193"/>
  </identifier>
  <version value="6.0.0"/>
  <name value="ReferenceHandlingPolicy"/>
  <title value="Reference Handling Policy"/>
  <status value="active"/>
  <experimental value="false"/>
  <date value="2021-01-05T10:01:24+11:00"/>
  <publisher value="HL7 (FHIR Project)"/>
  <contact>
    <telecom>
      <system value="url"/>
      <value value="http://hl7.org/fhir"/>
    </telecom>
    <telecom>
      <system value="email"/>
      <value value="fhir@lists.hl7.org"/>
    </telecom>
  </contact>
  <description value="A set of flags that defines how references are supported."/>
  <caseSensitive value="true"/>
  <valueSet value="http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/reference-handling-policy"/>
  <content value="complete"/>
  <concept>
    <code value="literal"/>
    <display value="Literal References"/>
    <definition value="The server supports and populates Literal references (i.e. using Reference.reference) where they are known (this code does not guarantee that all references are literal; see 'enforced')."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="logical"/>
    <display value="Logical References"/>
    <definition value="The server allows logical references (i.e. using Reference.identifier)."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="resolves"/>
    <display value="Resolves References"/>
    <definition value="The server will attempt to resolve logical references to literal references - i.e. converting Reference.identifier to Reference.reference (if resolution fails, the server may still accept resources; see logical)."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="enforced"/>
    <display value="Reference Integrity Enforced"/>
    <definition value="The server enforces that references have integrity - e.g. it ensures that references can always be resolved. This is typically the case for clinical record systems, but often not the case for middleware/proxy systems."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="local"/>
    <display value="Local References Only"/>
    <definition value="The server does not support references that point to other servers."/>
  </concept>
</CodeSystem>
```