DICOM Attribute

Institution Name (0008,0080)

Keyword
InstitutionName
VR
LO
VM
1

Definition

Institution where the equipment that produced the Composite Instances is located. This Attribute represents the organizational context only for the Equipment IE, and should not be construed to be a substitute for Issuer of Patient ID (0010,0021) or Issuer of Accession Number (0008,0051).

From NEMA PS3.3 §C.7.5.1.

Attribute Metadata

Tag
(0008,0080)
Keyword
InstitutionName
Name
Institution Name
Value Representation (VR)
LO
Value Multiplicity (VM)
1
Status
Active
Source
NEMA PS3.6 (table_6-1)

This attribute is part of the current DICOM Standard. Its value representation is LO with multiplicity 1.

Used in 8 Modules

This attribute uses the LO Value Representation. Multiplicity 1 governs how many values may be encoded.

Integration Notes

Real-world integration guidance for engineers implementing this attribute in Mirth Connect, FHIR gateways, HL7 v2 bridges, and cloud DICOM services. Authoritative source data where available; reference examples and operational notes where they add value.

FHIR Mapping

No direct FHIR ImagingStudy mapping published for this attribute. Some tags map indirectly via the Patient, Endpoint, or ImagingSelection resources — Phase 2b will expand coverage to those.

HL7 v2 Equivalent

  • MSH-4 Sending Facility site-dependent
    ADTORMORU

    Loose mapping. MSH-4 identifies the sending application's facility; DICOM InstitutionName names the institution that operates the imaging equipment. Often equivalent in single-site deployments.

    Source: common convention

Verify against IHE Radiology TF Vol 2 and your facility's interface specification before production use.

Cloud DICOM Support

AWS HealthImaging, Azure DICOM, and GCP Healthcare DICOM coverage rolls out by attribute. The QIDO-RS matching keys + Patient/Study/Series core (~50 attributes) are documented; lower-traffic attributes will be added as Saga teams encounter them in production.

Real-World Sample Values

  • JFK IMAGING CENTER CT_small.dcm
  • TOSHIBA MR_small.dcm
  • GE MEDICAL SYSTEMS ExplVR_BigEnd.dcm

Extracted from pydicom test fixtures (MIT, de-identified).

Mirth Connect Example

Set Institution Name from MSH-4 Sending Facility — When constructing DICOM SR (Structured Report) from HL7 v2 ORU, derive Instituti

When constructing DICOM SR (Structured Report) from HL7 v2 ORU, derive InstitutionName from the v2 sending facility.

// (0008,0080) Institution Name — derive from inbound HL7 MSH-4 Sending Facility
var sendingFacility = String(msg['MSH'][4][1] || '').trim();
if (sendingFacility) {
  // DICOM LO max 64 chars
  var instName = sendingFacility.substring(0, 64);
  channelMap.put('dicom_institution_name', instName);
}

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

Operational error patterns for the most-queried tags will be added as coverage expands.

DICOM Integration Services

Saga IT builds production DICOM integrations across Mirth Connect, FHIR gateways, and cloud imaging platforms. If you're working with InstitutionName or the broader (0008,0080) context: