Dear MRI Insider,
It is no secret that insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses continue to rise, making it more of a financial burden for families and individuals to afford certain imaging tests.
Now, one company is trying to make one of the more expensive modalities in medical imaging considerably more affordable.
Smart Choice MRI, based in Milwaukee, is offering MRI exams for $600 or less at six locations in Wisconsin. The firm has begun a national expansion to bring four low-cost MR imaging centers to the greater Chicago market and eventually to more states in the Midwest.
Our Insider Exclusive details how the company plans to standardize MRI care and pricing for all patients. Click here to learn more.
In other top features, a new study has found steadily rising levels of gadolinium in the waters of San Francisco Bay over the past two decades. The cause appears to be the growing use of gadolinium for scientific and medical applications, in particular as a contrast agent for MRI scanning.
Meanwhile, the use of gadolinium-based contrast with MRI scans to evaluate tumors can be avoided for pediatric patients, according to one study. Researchers concluded that image quality is essentially the same as with no contrast enhancement at all, and skipping contrast results in faster scan times without the risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis or accumulating gadolinium deposits in the brain.
In addition, advances in technology and software have made 3-tesla MRI a better option for examining fetal abnormalities, with no adverse effects on the fetus, according to a study from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Researchers found an "overall advantage" to using 3-tesla MRI with certain imaging sequences to enhance the visualization of structures such as the liver, lungs, kidneys, cartilage, and spine.
Finally, patient satisfaction is an ongoing priority for all hospitals and imaging centers. By providing a comfortable waiting environment with a variety of conveniences, the staff at Emory University has happier patients who believe they are spending less time waiting for their MRI scans. Read about which amenities are leading to such positive reviews from patients.
Be sure to visit the MRI Community on a daily basis for the latest news and groundbreaking research from around the world.
