How To Find a Radiology Imaging Center

If you need a medical scan, like an MRI or CT scan, you’ll want to find the right balance of price, quality, and convenience. In many cases, these three factors are related: a “discount” MRI center down the street may suffer from reduced quality, while a hospital-based center across town may offer superior quality at a major cost premium. So what’s the best solution?

First, focus on your medical needs. If you have a very complex medical background – for example, multiple prior surgeries on the area being scanned – it’s wise to stick with your hospital’s network, so the radiologist has access to all of your prior scans and records. Unfortunately, you’ll probably have to compromise on convenience and pay a higher cost.

If it’s a first-time scan, or something more routine, your options are wide open. Start by finding some quality centers in your area. The main benchmark for quality is “accreditation” – a certification that the center meets the essential criteria for performing specific types of scans. In most cases, accreditation comes from the American College of Radiology. You can browse their accredited centers here. You can ask your doctor if he or she has any experiences (good or bad) at the locations that you find.

Next, you’ll need to work on the price. Call the centers to ask what you can expect to pay for your scan. If you have insurance, they may need to run your specific plan to determine your deductible and co-pay. If you’re getting high prices, ask about self-pay (“cash”) rates, which won’t apply to your deductible but may be significantly lower than the insurance rate.

If that all sounds like a lot of work — well, it is! We created Medmo to help streamline the process, making it easier to connect with a high-quality center that can work with your budget. Just tell us what you need, when you’re free, and what you can afford. We only partner with accredited centers, and there’s no cost if we can’t book the scan at your price.

To book a scan, visit us at Medmo.com. Medmo helps people schedule radiology imaging tests – such as MRI, CT scans, PET, and more – at nearby accredited centers and identify the payment solution that works best for them.