diff --git a/hapi-fhir-server/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/method/ElementsParameter.java b/hapi-fhir-server/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/method/ElementsParameter.java
index 98e2d8ccb51..b566562558b 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-server/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/method/ElementsParameter.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-server/src/main/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/method/ElementsParameter.java
@@ -87,18 +87,19 @@ public class ElementsParameter implements IParameter {
 		if (theExclude) {
 			paramName = Constants.PARAM_ELEMENTS + Constants.PARAM_ELEMENTS_EXCLUDE_MODIFIER;
 		}
-		String[] summary = theRequest.getParameters().get(paramName);
+		String[] elementsValues = theRequest.getParameters().get(paramName);
 
-		if (summary != null && summary.length > 0) {
-			Set<String> retVal = new HashSet<String>();
-			for (String next : summary) {
+		if (elementsValues != null && elementsValues.length > 0) {
+			Set<String> retVal = new HashSet<>();
+			for (String next : elementsValues) {
 				StringTokenizer tok = new StringTokenizer(next, ",");
 				while (tok.hasMoreTokens()) {
 					String token = tok.nextToken();
 					if (isNotBlank(token)) {
-						if (token.contains(".") && standardMode) {
-							continue;
-						}
+						if (token.contains("."))
+							if (standardMode) {
+								continue;
+							}
 						retVal.add(token);
 					}
 				}
@@ -107,11 +108,6 @@ public class ElementsParameter implements IParameter {
 				return null;
 			}
 
-			// Always include the meta element even for subsetted values
-			if (!theExclude) {
-				retVal.add("meta");
-			}
-
 			return retVal;
 		}
 		return null;
diff --git a/hapi-fhir-structures-r4/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/ElementsParamR4Test.java b/hapi-fhir-structures-r4/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/ElementsParamR4Test.java
index 3bb22be9843..38104c562eb 100644
--- a/hapi-fhir-structures-r4/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/ElementsParamR4Test.java
+++ b/hapi-fhir-structures-r4/src/test/java/ca/uhn/fhir/rest/server/ElementsParamR4Test.java
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ public class ElementsParamR4Test {
 				assertThat(responseContent, not(containsString("<div>THE DIV</div>")));
 				assertThat(responseContent, (containsString("family")));
 				assertThat(responseContent, (containsString("maritalStatus")));
-				assertThat(ourLastElements, containsInAnyOrder("meta", "name", "maritalStatus"));
+				assertThat(ourLastElements, containsInAnyOrder("name", "maritalStatus"));
 			}
 		);
 	}
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ public class ElementsParamR4Test {
 				assertThat(responseContent, not(containsString("<div>THE DIV</div>")));
 				assertThat(responseContent, (containsString("family")));
 				assertThat(responseContent, not(containsString("maritalStatus")));
-				assertThat(ourLastElements, containsInAnyOrder("meta", "name"));
+				assertThat(ourLastElements, containsInAnyOrder("name"));
 			}
 		);
 	}
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public class ElementsParamR4Test {
 				assertThat(responseContent, not(containsString("THE DIV")));
 				assertThat(responseContent, containsString("family"));
 				assertThat(responseContent, containsString("maritalStatus"));
-				assertThat(ourLastElements, containsInAnyOrder("meta", "name", "maritalStatus"));
+				assertThat(ourLastElements, containsInAnyOrder("name", "maritalStatus"));
 			}
 		);
 	}
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ public class ElementsParamR4Test {
 				assertThat(responseContent, containsString("THE DIV"));
 				assertThat(responseContent, not(containsString("family")));
 				assertThat(responseContent, not(containsString("maritalStatus")));
-				assertThat(ourLastElements, containsInAnyOrder("meta", "text"));
+				assertThat(ourLastElements, containsInAnyOrder( "text"));
 			}
 		);
 	}
@@ -184,6 +184,34 @@ public class ElementsParamR4Test {
 			});
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * A search on procedure, with only resource specific elements filters that are specifically
+	 * on other resources but Procedure, should not affect the output of the procedure resource.
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void testMultiResourceElementsFilterDoesntAffectFocalResource() throws IOException {
+		createProcedureWithLongChain();
+		verifyXmlAndJson(
+			"http://localhost:" + ourPort + "/Procedure?_include=*&_elements=Observation.subject",
+			bundle -> {
+				Procedure procedure = (Procedure) bundle.getEntry().get(0).getResource();
+				assertEquals(true, procedure.getMeta().isEmpty());
+				assertEquals("REASON_CODE", procedure.getReasonCode().get(0).getCoding().get(0).getCode());
+				assertEquals("USED_CODE", procedure.getUsedCode().get(0).getCoding().get(0).getCode());
+
+				DiagnosticReport dr = (DiagnosticReport) bundle.getEntry().get(1).getResource();
+				assertEquals(true, dr.getMeta().isEmpty());
+				assertEquals(1, dr.getResult().size());
+
+				Observation obs = (Observation ) bundle.getEntry().get(2).getResource();
+				assertEquals("SUBSETTED", obs.getMeta().getTag().get(0).getCode());
+				assertEquals(null, obs.getStatus());
+				assertEquals(0, obs.getCode().getCoding().size());
+				assertEquals(false, obs.hasValue());
+				assertEquals("Patient/123", obs.getSubject().getReference());
+			});
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void testMultiResourceElementsFilterWithMetadataExcludedStandardMode() throws IOException {
 		ourServlet.setElementsSupport(ElementsSupportEnum.STANDARD);