Economic Impacts
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Production of Friendly Implants that can be seen under MRIMRI scans are not recommended for individuals that use a pacemaker, or have any metal implants inside them in case of any harmful effects they could feel under the strong magnetic field. A new classification system for implants and ancillary clinical devices has been developed by ASTM International to enable patients to be scanned using MRI:
*On the right, it displays the danger of magnetic objects and the force applied in an MRI. |
Way to Find affordable way to fund MRIA Canadian resident will not receive any costs for their MRI scan. For example, an Ontario resident covered by OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) will not receive any costs as long as the medical clinic receives a requisition signed by CPSO (Ontario physician certified with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario).
Third party payers such as as insurance companies and the Canadian military, will also be no costs to patients. A. approval form the third party payer must be present before the MRI scan is scheduled. |
Negative ImpactThe cost of the MRI machine is expensive in comparison to other imaging techniques. This is due mainly to the use of a strong superconducting magnet. These magnets require a lot of loops to maintain a constant current and strong magnetic field. Both the wire itself and the fabrication of the magnet coils are expensive and this cost scales at least linearly with the length of wire required to build the magnet (Padmani 2014).
In addition, a larger magnet coil demands a larger, heavier cryostat to maintain the coil below its critical temperature. With the increase of the magnetic field strength, the internal force felt within the coil windings increase. This means that more supports and reinforcements are needed within the magnet making the device more bulky, and more money must be used to build it. In countries such as the US, getting an MRI scan is a costly ordeal when looking at the big picture.
The bill for the MRI scan also expresses how expensive this medical imaging tool is. MRIs charges can range from $474 or as high as $13,259, depending on where you go. Hospitals and medical centers can charge whatever they want, and in most cases they don’t have to justify prices or disclose them ahead of time (Glover2014). Doctors also charge whatever they want, and though the MRI facility probably sets the rates of their staff doctors, patients will be charged separately for a radiologist to read the MRI. Additionally, the physician may ask for the MRI to be done with/ without contrast dye, or both. The “dye” is a paramagnetic liquid that responds to the machine’s magnet and helps enhance certain abnormalities on the scan that would not have otherwise been visible, common in neurological MRIs (Glover 2014). Overall, the total bill for the MRI includes the radiologist fee, the contrast dyes, and the cost of the procedure itself. Depending on the medical center, these charges may be bundled together into one bill. Overall, due to its high cost to scan and purchase, it reduces the number of people who go to get an MRI done. Instead more people choose to get a CT scan done even risking being exposed to radiation of x-rays because it isn't expensive and it is done fairly quickly compared to an MRI. (Sessions with an MRI can span from 20-60 mins.) |