Anonymization
Public dataset publication
Prepare a fully de-identified dataset for public research release.
Problem
You need to publish a research dataset to a public repository (e.g. TCIA, PhysioNet). The dataset must be fully de-identified to comply with HIPAA Safe Harbor rules — all 18 identifiers must be removed from both DICOM headers and pixel data.
Steps
- Open the DICOM file — click Open files… (⌘O).
- Switch to Anonymization mode — click the Anon tab (⌘2).
- Select Safe Harbor profile — pick “Safe Harbor (18 identifiers)” from the profile picker. This activates strict scrubbing of all 18 HIPAA identifier categories.
- Enable pixel data cleaning — toggle Clean Pixel Data to remove burned-in text overlays from the image.
- Apply and export — click Apply & Export to produce the de-identified DICOM file.
- Verify — load the exported file and confirm no PHI values remain: PatientName is blank, PatientID is anonymized, and all date fields are shifted or cleared.
Expected Result
- All 18 HIPAA Safe Harbor identifiers are removed or pseudonymized.
- PatientName is cleared, PatientID is pseudonymized.
- Date fields are shifted by a deterministic offset.
- Pixel data has no burned-in PHI text (if Clean Pixel Data was enabled).
- The exported file is suitable for public dataset publication.