Cost of running the medical imaging department

I used to have some doubts myself about how medical centres charge patient for imaging studies, which at times may seem like a lot. For e.g. an MRI of the joint typically costs around RM600-RM800.

After having worked in a private healthcare facility for a couple of months, I am beginning to appreciate the cost “behind” operating these mega machines.

To start with, the scanners usually cost about RM1 to 2 million. Renovation of the room is another 100 – 300 thousand ringgit. On top of that the annual service contract is typically about 5-10% of the cost of the machine. Some of the accessories used are non-serviceable (i.e. they are replaced if they are found to be faulty and cannot be fixed).

Featured in this article is the image of an MRI coil which was faulty recently producing images with a dark band on the right side. Unfortunately the coil’s warranty period has lapsed and it is non-serviceable. The construct of the coil looks simple enough with outer casing made of fiberglass material, few stripes of steel films, coils, transistors and cables. Guess how much this coil cost? A whooping RM50,000.00!

Considering all these additional costs, what patient pays may not even be enough to cover the initial and maintenance costs. But such is the nature of running the imaging department. We provide support to the clinicians who can in turn decide the best way to manage the patients.