Economic considerations

The increasing costs of medical imaging procedures such as MRI and the dwindling capital funds of many hospitals have induced many centers to enter into financial partnerships with their referring physicians. Although limited partnerships may be expedient in the short term, they may constitute a conflict of interest, increasing the potential for unethical self-referral by physician-investors. Even this appearance of conflict of interest may diminish public trust in the medical profession (which is already being perceived as increasingly entrepreneurial). Thus, the initial unbridled enthusiasm for MRI as a miraculous new diagnostic tool has been blunted by concern over its cost and by the increasing potential for unethical behavior in the medical community. This may have contributed to the slower diffusion of MRI technology, which has occurred at only 20% of the rate for diffusion of X-ray computed tomography (CT). To understand this mixed perception of MRI, one must evaluate its efficacy in the context of preexisting CT and increasing controls on costs