DICOM Attribute

De-identification Method (0012,0063)

Keyword
DeidentificationMethod
VR
LO
VM
1-n

Definition

A description or label of the mechanism or method use to remove the Patient's identity. May be multi-valued if successive de-identification steps have been performed. Required if Patient Identity Removed (0012,0062) is present and has a Value of YES and De-identification Method Code Sequence (0012,0064) is not present. May be present otherwise. This may be used to describe the extent or thoroughness of the de-identification, for example whether or not the de-identification is for a "Limited Data Set" (as per HIPAA Privacy Rule). The characteristics of the de-identifying equipment and/or the responsible operator of that equipment may be recorded as an additional Item of the Contributing Equipment Sequence (0018,A001) in the . De-identifying equipment may use a Purpose of Reference of . (109104, DCM, "De-identifying Equipment")

From NEMA PS3.3 §C.7.1.1.

Attribute Metadata

Tag
(0012,0063)
Keyword
DeidentificationMethod
Name
De-identification Method
Value Representation (VR)
LO
Value Multiplicity (VM)
1-n
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-n.

Used in 1 Module

This attribute uses the LO Value Representation. Multiplicity 1-n 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

No standard HL7 v2 equivalent published for this attribute. Imaging-only attributes (Image Pixel data, technical acquisition parameters, modality-specific values) typically have no HL7 v2 carrier.

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

No representative sample value available — this attribute isn't present in the de-identified pydicom fixture set. Add a fixture covering this attribute to expand coverage.

Mirth Connect Example

JavaScript transformer snippets for the most-queried tags will be added as coverage expands.

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 DeidentificationMethod or the broader (0012,0063) context: