Image De-Identification Process and Fees
All projects contain the following steps
- Study Set Up
After receiving your request, we create a log for your project and assign a unique identifier to it. If your project needs clarification, we will contact you for additional information. In order to save time in this process, please be sure to complete the request form with as much detail as possible, including providing your project’s ID for each subject/accession. Changing any information provided after the form is submitted will increase our effort and will result in added costs to your project.
No further work is done until we receive approval from OCRICC.
After receiving OCRICC approval, we set up your account in XNAT and generate a mapping of subject IDs to accession IDs.
- Initial Processing
During initial processing, we download all images from the PACS server. If your project requires images that are not completely anonymized (requires the inclusion of certain identifiers), a custom template is created. Next, the images are de-identified, the subjects are set up in XNAT, and the images are uploaded to the XNAT server.
Upon completion, you will be notified that your request is ready. Your XNAT login and password are provided with your first request.
Advanced Processing (Image Specific)
If EHPI has been burned into the images stored in PACS, secondary (advanced) processing is required to redact the information.
The amount of effort expended during this process may vary depending on the images requested. A template is applied to user defined blackout region(s) of the image set. It is never the case that all images have the same blackout regions. Therefore, it is necessary to individually select some images and process them separately. This process adds an estimated 30-45 minutes to processing time for each batch.
De-Identification Turnaround Time
- The default turnaround time to process a request is five business days.
- Expedited turnaround times can be accommodated (i.e 1 business day), but this will require additional time dedicated to the project by multiple parties.
- Expedited requests are a premium service and will be charged an additional fee per batch on top of hourly processing fees.
- We are not staffed to accommodate anything less than 1 business day at this time
Pricing Structure
The tables below describe the pricing structure for Image De-Identification Services. Please note that most studies only require the first two steps: Study Set Up and Processing.
All rates below are approximations. Actual time expended will be billed. Rates are subject to change. Listed rates effective 12/1/2024.
| Image De-Identification Process | Time Required | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Study Set Up | One-time flat fee | $130 |
| Processing | 1 hour, minimum | $130/hour |
| Phantom Processing | ~ | Free |
| Expedited Turnaround Fee | Flat fee to expedite per request | $70 |
Ongoing Processing (Additional Batches, After First Request)
Ongoing requests are dependent on the study and vary greatly.
- If templates are set up during initial processing, each batch request will require approximately 30-45 minutes of processing time, depending on the quantity of subjects. Please see the table below for approximate fees.
- If the images include EPHI, advanced processing becomes necessary. An additional 30 minutes to 1 hour will be required per batch.
| Tier | # of Accessions | Estimated Time Required (Effort Hours) | Rate (Hour) | Estimated Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-20 | 1.0-3.0 | $130.00 | $130.00 - $390.00 |
| 2 | 21-40 | 3.0-6.0 | $130.00 | $390.00 - $780.00 |
| 3 | 41-60 | 6.0-9.0 | $130.00 | $780.00 - $1,170.00 |
| 4 | 61-80 | 9.0-12.0 | $130.00 | $1,170.00 - $1,560.00 |
| 5 | 81-100 | 12.0-15.0 | $130.00 | $1,560.00 - $1,950.00 |
| 6 | >100 | 15.0-? | $130.00 | $1,950.00 + |