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One whole-body MRI could replace multiple cancer scans

pharmatimes.com

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Re: One whole-body MRI could replace multiple cancer scans

#221

Post by mattkrause »

HyperTalk2 wrote: post #199

How can I get a full body exploratory MRI done? Is this even possible? I've tried bribing with tens of thousands of dollars and I still get denied.

If you're likely to benefit from one (e.g., you had cancer), your doctor should be able to make that happen. Otherwise, it's unlikely to do much for your health.

If you're just curious to see what your own brain (liver, etc) looks like, you might want to volunteer for a study at a local university and ask them if you can get a copy of your own scan. I know one lab that will even show you how to 3D print your brain, if you want.

Re: One whole-body MRI could replace multiple cancer scans

#222

Post by flemhans »

mattkrause wrote: post #213
D_Alex wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$98/scan in Japan. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/...

The doctor gets $98. The $550/hr price I quoted is for a research scanner where no one is even trying to turn a profit; they just want to pay off the machine and its operating costs. The machines themselves are not magically cheaper in Japan; they're just being paid for through some other route. If the scanner were somehow free (gov't grant?), 98$ seems pretty reasonable for the labor.

$105 in Romania then, for most body parts.

" rel="nofollow">http://www.hiperdia.ro/servicii-medicale/>

Re: One whole-body MRI could replace multiple cancer scans

#223

Post by flemhans »

D_Alex wrote: post #206
abakker wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there are perverse incentives at work, too. If running the MRI machine cost $100, people would do it. If it can bill insurance $100k, and then any follow up might cost $500k, there is a rational aversion to doing it as it might make the _system_ less good for everyone if insurance cracked down on exploratory imaging as a billable thing (obviously, they already do this to some extent). Better technology is unl…

>If running the MRI machine cost $100, people would do it. There are different kinds of MRIs, but the actual direct costs for running an MRI without preparatory procedures is around $100 (preparatory dye injection may be another $50 cost ). Marginal costs are lower still. See also here: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120545... https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/...

If you would like a $100 scan, you can do it in Romania.

" rel="nofollow">http://www.hiperdia.ro/servicii-medicale/>

It's a modern 1.5T MRI.

Re: One whole-body MRI could replace multiple cancer scans

#224

Post by mattkrause »

flemhans wrote: post #222
mattkrause wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The doctor gets $98. The $550/hr price I quoted is for a research scanner where no one is even trying to turn a profit; they just want to pay off the machine and its operating costs. The machines themselves are not magically cheaper in Japan; they're just being paid for through some other route. If the scanner were somehow free (gov't grant?), 98$ seems pretty reasonable for the labor.

$105 in Romania then, for most body parts. " rel="nofollow">http://www.hiperdia.ro/servicii-medicale/>

Again, that’s what you pay (near as I can tell), but that’s not what it costs.

They’re also “free” (at the point of service) in the UK, but the scanner and helium are not a generous gift from the fey folk, nor does the Queen volunteer as a tech.

These things cost money. Any study you do is going to have to cover expenses—-including their share of a temperamental, multimillion dollar machine (or find a way to dip into the same accounts that cover its clinical use).

Re: One whole-body MRI could replace multiple cancer scans

#226

Post by flemhans »

mattkrause wrote: post #224
flemhans wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$105 in Romania then, for most body parts. " rel="nofollow">http://www.hiperdia.ro/servicii-medicale/>

Again, that’s what you pay (near as I can tell), but that’s not what it costs . They’re also “free” (at the point of service) in the UK, but the scanner and helium are not a generous gift from the fey folk, nor does the Queen volunteer as a tech. These things cost money. Any study you do is going to have to cover expenses—-including their share of a temperamental, multimillion dollar machine (or find a way to dip int…

It is actually what I paid at the front desk in cash :) Totally anonymous. I visited as a tourist. It is not a subsidized government hospital.

Re: One whole-body MRI could replace multiple cancer scans

#227

Post by lostlogin »

ohithereyou wrote: post #186
lostlogin wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1.5T or 3T is where imaging gets useful and then you’re back at the high end of the pricing.

Don't forget the price increase when the MR software developers sprinkle in the machine learning pixie dust! (Source: am a MR software developer)

I’d love there do be more interaction between radiographers and devs. There are some strange bugs on all the major platforms (my GE experience is now probably too old to be relevant) and removing them would be so excellent. What is your area/role?

Re: One whole-body MRI could replace multiple cancer scans

#228

Post by ohithereyou »

jlpom wrote: post #203
ohithereyou wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Make sure you report this to both your GP and to the company that makes the machine. All major MRI machine makers watch for adverse reactions like hawks, and if there's any way that your experience is an adverse reaction to either the contrast or the scan they are going to want the details to prevent it from happening to somebody else.

Thanks for the advice, I will send an email to GE.

GE's hotline for suspected adverse reactions is 1-800-654-0118

You can also report to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088

(Both of these were the third hit searching for 'report ge mri adverse reactions' on Google.)

Re: One whole-body MRI could replace multiple cancer scans

#229

Post by donnalisa101 »

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Re: One whole-body MRI could replace multiple cancer scans

#230

Post by cjensen »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #189
cjensen wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US system with malpractice lawsuits, there will be followup in most cases. US Doctors are still furious over the amount of unnecessary testing that occurred as a result of the "whole body scan at third party facility" fad from a decade or two ago.

We should focus on the core problem, instead of "this device gives patients too much data."

The core problem is there is zero evidence that a whole-body scan saves more lives than are lost due to the radiation of a whole-body scan.
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