Accession Number (0008,0050)

Mirth Connect Example

// (0008,0050) Accession Number — primary identifier for radiology orders
var accNum = String(msg.dataset.attr.(@tag == '00080050').value).trim();
if (!accNum) {
  // Reject incoming DICOM without an Accession Number — common WL/MWL workflow assumption
  destinationSet.removeAll();
  return;
}
tmp['OBR'][18] = accNum;
channelMap.put('accession', accNum); // also expose for downstream filters

Reference only — validate before production. Snippets are starting points, not turnkey solutions. Always test against your channel's specific message structure and your facility's interface specification. See Mirth Connect User Guide + NEMA PS3.6 + your vendor conformance statement for authoritative specification.

Common Operational Errors

• high Accession Number truncation at 16 chars (SH limit)

  Diagnosis: Some EHRs (notably Epic legacy, some custom HIS) generate accession numbers >16 chars. DICOM's SH VR caps at 16 chars; the modality's Worklist SCU silently truncates, then the resulting study lands with a different (short) AccessionNumber than the order, breaking reconciliation.

  Fix: Either (a) constrain the source HIS to ≤16 chars, or (b) hash the long accession (e.g., MD5 first 16 chars) and maintain a mapping table for back-lookup. Long-term: pursue the SH-cap removal in IHE RAD profiles.

• medium Accession Number used inconsistently across systems

  Diagnosis: Order entry uses ORC-2 (Placer Order Number) for a unique identifier, but the modality's AccessionNumber comes from OBR-18 (Placer Field 1) populated with a different value. DICOM's AccessionNumber doesn't match HIS's order.

  Fix: Per IHE RAD-TF Vol 2, AccessionNumber should be OBR-18. Audit your worklist SCP's mapping. Some sites use a Z-segment (ZDS-1) — confirm with your conformance statement.

Reference only — validate before applying a fix. Scenarios are drawn from common DICOM/HL7 v2 integration patterns; reproduce against your environment before acting on any diagnosis. See NEMA PS3.6 + your vendor conformance statement for authoritative specification. Severity levels: high (data-loss / patient-safety), medium (workflow disruption), low (cosmetic).