Today's environment is more challenging. LPMI President and COO Steven R. Renard estimates that it costs approximately $500,000 to build a standalone, single-modality MRI imaging center to accommodate a 3-tesla magnet. Of that total, approximately $60,000 covers the cost of shielding and another $10,000 for the foundation and ancillary prep work.
One difference is that a 3-tesla room needs to be slightly larger than that of a 1.5-tesla room. "Outside of that, the manufacturers and vendors have done a very good job of making it cost-neutral as far as the development of the room," Renard said. "Having said that, it doesn’t preclude the extra money (required) for soundproofing."
LPMI uses standard insulation and adds another four to six inches of dead space between the primary wall and the shielding. If noise is still a concern, the company will add rubber matting underneath the dry wall. Total cost for the additional soundproofing is approximately $12,000. "If you did all that," Renard said, "it is even quieter than a 1.5T."
All in all, Renard believes the investment in 3 tesla is financially viable. He estimates that an imaging center will need to perform approximately 40 more scans per month to recoup revenues from the lower reimbursement due to the DRA, provided commercial payors don't follow Medicare's lead. LPMI can perform scans on approximately 30 patients per day on its 3-tesla system, compared with 24 to 26 a day on a 1.5-tesla scanner.
To help facilities meet their 3-tesla investments, vendors are offering operating leases. Renard opted for that option with LPMI's second 3-tesla system. "Operating leases bring the price of the 3T magnets close to what you pay on a capital lease on a 1.5T," he said. "From that standpoint, you have the bandwidth, the marketing capability, the additional procedures, and you are not looking to upgrade in Year 5."
LPMI figures to invest approximately $2.2 million for its fully loaded 3-tesla MRI, with payments of approximately $34,000 a month for the operating lease, compared with $44,000 for a five-year dollar buyout loan.
-- Wayne Forrest
