11 ms·

> The average cost of a WB-MRI scan for NSCLC patients was £317 Wow! $3000+ here in the US. Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?

dillonmckay 7y ago
If you prepay, costs around $400 to $500, but that is not involving private insurance. https://www.mdsave.com/ https://www.mdsave.com/ Not affiliated, just interesting to see prices of various diagnostics around the US.
- rladd 7y ago
  There are others that are less expensive if you do some searching, like https://radiologyassist.com/ https://radiologyassist.com/ (depending on where you live). Also, if you call independent MRI centers they will usually give you a much lower cash price (but then insurance won't reimburse). Another point to consider is that hospital MRIs can cost 10x (ten times) more than independent MRI centers. And while we're talking about MRIs, it's important to mention that the safer contrast agents are the macrocyclics. Avoid the linear agents if you are concerned about possible gadolinium deposits in your brain and other organs, and potential kidney damage.
  - jmhmd 7y ago
    Regarding gadolinium, linear agents are almost never used anymore (and shouldn't be), at least in the US. Also, macrocyclics do also deposit in your brain in very small amounts, however there has never been any negative effect from this shown to date. And lastly, gadolinium is not known to cause any kidney damage. The problem in the past (in particular with linear agents) was nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, which was shown to occur in patients with pre-existing poor kidney function, probably as a result of being unable to quickly clear the gadolinium, which could then deposit in tissues. There is very little risk (if any) of NSF with newer macrocyclic agents.
- fma 7y ago
  I've seen Groupons for MRI scans and thought surely it must be a scam. From the reviews, sometimes they pressure you to get a package for periodic scans and use the first as a base line. But interesting indeed!
hammock 7y ago
State of the art MRI machine costs $3 million up front. Would take 20 scans a week, every week, for 10 years to break even on that investment at $300 per scan. Not counting physician & staff time or cost of capital.
- dillonmckay 7y ago
  For reference, I recently went to an MRI ‘center’ and their business hours are 7:30am to 10pm 7 days a week. So, even charging $500 and booking every 30 minutes, payback on investment is much less than a year.
  - cheschire 7y ago
    That sounds so ridiculous compared to Germany, where grocery stores aren’t even open 7 days a week.
- Spooky23 7y ago
  My insurer pays like $450. The hospitals seem to be doing ok, if anything there are way too many MRIs out there.
  - masklinn 7y ago
    A few years back that was the "japanese problem": the price of MRI machines started falling but the act itself (whose price is set by policy / negotiations) hadn't been revised yet, so every clinic started getting one, which contributed to the price falling, and a price revision or two later the price was revised to ~$100, but the cheap MRIs and habit to use them remained. We're talking circa 2010, around the time of the obamacare debate in the US.
- Someone1234 7y ago
  Only 20 scans a week? A scan takes 30-60 minutes. So even if they only work 8 hour days and assume an hour for lunch/flex that's 35 scans per 5 day week. If they use it on weekends at all or run it for more than eight hours, that's just gravy. I'm not sure where you got the 20 scans a week number.
chris_va 7y ago
Not all MRI machines are equal, though, so it's hard to tell without specifics. A low field 0.2T machine might be $150k. A full bells+whistles 3T machine might be $3M.
- lostlogin 7y ago
  1.5T or 3T is where imaging gets useful and then you’re back at the high end of the pricing.
  - ohithereyou 7y ago
    Don't forget the price increase when the MR software developers sprinkle in the machine learning pixie dust! (Source: am a MR software developer)
    - lostlogin 7y ago
      I’d love there do be more interaction between radiographers and devs. There are some strange bugs on all the major platforms (my GE experience is now probably too old to be relevant) and removing them would be so excellent. What is your area/role?
      - ohithereyou 7y ago
        Without outing my specific company and location: I do primarily operating system and associated plumbing level development for a platform supporting MR applications as well as some application work atop that.
- mattkrause 7y ago
  The 'bells and whistles' model is starting to move to 7T, and the price scales accordingly.

dillonmckay 7y ago

If you prepay, costs around $400 to $500, but that is not involving private insurance. https://www.mdsave.com/ https://www.mdsave.com/ Not affiliated, just interesting to see prices of various diagnostics around the US.

rladd 7y ago
There are others that are less expensive if you do some searching, like https://radiologyassist.com/ https://radiologyassist.com/ (depending on where you live). Also, if you call independent MRI centers they will usually give you a much lower cash price (but then insurance won't reimburse). Another point to consider is that hospital MRIs can cost 10x (ten times) more than independent MRI centers. And while we're talking about MRIs, it's important to mention that the safer contrast agents are the macrocyclics. Avoid the linear agents if you are concerned about possible gadolinium deposits in your brain and other organs, and potential kidney damage.
- jmhmd 7y ago
  Regarding gadolinium, linear agents are almost never used anymore (and shouldn't be), at least in the US. Also, macrocyclics do also deposit in your brain in very small amounts, however there has never been any negative effect from this shown to date. And lastly, gadolinium is not known to cause any kidney damage. The problem in the past (in particular with linear agents) was nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, which was shown to occur in patients with pre-existing poor kidney function, probably as a result of being unable to quickly clear the gadolinium, which could then deposit in tissues. There is very little risk (if any) of NSF with newer macrocyclic agents.
fma 7y ago
I've seen Groupons for MRI scans and thought surely it must be a scam. From the reviews, sometimes they pressure you to get a package for periodic scans and use the first as a base line. But interesting indeed!

hammock 7y ago

State of the art MRI machine costs $3 million up front. Would take 20 scans a week, every week, for 10 years to break even on that investment at $300 per scan. Not counting physician & staff time or cost of capital.

dillonmckay 7y ago
For reference, I recently went to an MRI ‘center’ and their business hours are 7:30am to 10pm 7 days a week. So, even charging $500 and booking every 30 minutes, payback on investment is much less than a year.
- cheschire 7y ago
  That sounds so ridiculous compared to Germany, where grocery stores aren’t even open 7 days a week.
Spooky23 7y ago
My insurer pays like $450. The hospitals seem to be doing ok, if anything there are way too many MRIs out there.
- masklinn 7y ago
  A few years back that was the "japanese problem": the price of MRI machines started falling but the act itself (whose price is set by policy / negotiations) hadn't been revised yet, so every clinic started getting one, which contributed to the price falling, and a price revision or two later the price was revised to ~$100, but the cheap MRIs and habit to use them remained. We're talking circa 2010, around the time of the obamacare debate in the US.
Someone1234 7y ago
Only 20 scans a week? A scan takes 30-60 minutes. So even if they only work 8 hour days and assume an hour for lunch/flex that's 35 scans per 5 day week. If they use it on weekends at all or run it for more than eight hours, that's just gravy. I'm not sure where you got the 20 scans a week number.

chris_va 7y ago

Not all MRI machines are equal, though, so it's hard to tell without specifics. A low field 0.2T machine might be $150k. A full bells+whistles 3T machine might be $3M.

lostlogin 7y ago
1.5T or 3T is where imaging gets useful and then you’re back at the high end of the pricing.
- ohithereyou 7y ago
  Don't forget the price increase when the MR software developers sprinkle in the machine learning pixie dust! (Source: am a MR software developer)
  - lostlogin 7y ago
    I’d love there do be more interaction between radiographers and devs. There are some strange bugs on all the major platforms (my GE experience is now probably too old to be relevant) and removing them would be so excellent. What is your area/role?
    - ohithereyou 7y ago
      Without outing my specific company and location: I do primarily operating system and associated plumbing level development for a platform supporting MR applications as well as some application work atop that.
mattkrause 7y ago
The 'bells and whistles' model is starting to move to 7T, and the price scales accordingly.