Did You Know You Have a Right to Choose Your MRI Provider?

To say Linda Raimondi was reluctant to get an MRI would be an understatement. “I’m not sure there’s enough Valium on earth to get me through it,” Linda explained. “I kept saying, ‘OK, maybe I can get out a door somewhere here’.” After successfully getting through the exam she had dreaded for days, she gave the credit to her MRI Technologist Meredith Brown at RAYUS in Springfield, MA. According to Linda, it was Meredith’s calm reassurance that made the MRI possible. Without it, she couldn’t have gotten relief from the bone spur eating into the tendons across her shoulder.

You Can Hand-pick Your MRI Provider

When you find yourself in Linda’s shoes and a doctor tells you to get an MRI, what do you do? RAYUS’s Massachusetts Operations Manager Nicole Sanchez says a lot of people let their physician tell them where to go. The downside of gettingan MRI without checking out your options is that you may waste time and money. In recent years, Nicole says, “More patients are becoming aware of their ability to choose.”

You Can Find the Right Fit

Not all MRI machines are created equal. Some providers offer only traditional MRIs, which look like a tube or a tunnel. If your doctor suggests you go to a provider offering only traditional MRI services, you’ll end up in a machine that might not be the best fit. Here’s a look at the traditional MRI machine vs. the High-field Open MRI offered at many of RAYUS’s centers:

Traditional vs High-field open MRI

The traditional MRI has a 23.5” diameter while the High-field Open MRI is 36” across. For broad-shouldered men, bariatric patients, or anyone with claustrophobic feelings, the Open MRI offers a lot more space.

Sometimes it takes a bad MRI experience to convince patients of the value of hand-picking a provider. RAYUS gets a lot of online feedback from our patients, like this comment from someone who came to RAYUS after a bad experience elsewhere. The patient found our High-field Open MRI in Chelmsford, MA in an Internet search after going to another provider in the area and walking out.

“My experience at RAYUS was vastly superior. I found the machine much more comfortable (apart from the unavoidable noise!!), the staff were friendly and helpful. Should I need to use imaging services in the future, RAYUS will be my first choice.”

You Can have Convenience AND Service

The last thing you need in your medical journey is added stress or confusion. At RAYUS, we do everything we can to make your imaging appointment comfortable. Our centers offer free, handy parking. We strive to get you in as soon as possible. That can mean a same-day appointment. Our friendly staff stays focused on sticking to a schedule so you don’t have to needlessly wait to be seen. And we promise quick turnaround for all of our reports – getting them to your physician within 48 hours.

You Can Pay Less AND Get More

Because of our commitment to quality, you might expect to pay a higher price for your scan. So you might be surprised that RAYUS’s billed rates average 30-50% less than hospital-based imaging providers. If you’re comparing RAYUS to a hospital, Nicole Sanchez points out, “We have same technologies and our radiologists are board certified sub specialized radiologists, many whom were trained at these large world-renowned hospitals.”

Combine that quality of our staff with the bottom line on your bill. Here’s an example of charges for the same lumbar spine exam at RAYUS vs. other imaging providers. We charge $572 while our competitors average $1,192 for the same exam. Our exam is 52% less!

Great quality at a great price is a commitment we make to our patients. Linda Raimondi is a believer in RAYUS’s quality of care. She calls her MRI Technologist Meredith “an angel” and says she knows she’ll be back. “I’ll have more MRIs in my future and hopefully Meredith will still be there because I will ask for her.”