But growth in MR procedures may be hampered by decreasing reimbursement levels, health insurance preauthorization denials, reduced health plan coverage and higher out-of-pocket costs that lead to declines in patient volume for elective exams. Other challenges include appropriate use requirements, public concerns with gadolinium side effects, and local competition.

Providers are also concerned about managing operational and staffing issues that could derive from increased workloads, and face a number of logistical issues including: educating MR techs and related support personnel about MR safety, cross-training technologists across multiple locations, and screening patients appropriately for MR scanning.


“Departments need to work closely with their referring physicians so that what they refer is the right technology for the physician,” said Young. “That’s a lot of communication, standards and appropriate use criteria from the department to the referring physicians. The more they can do that, the better they can manage their patient volume and do what’s appropriate for the patient.”

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