Economic considerations in magnetic resonance imaging

In considering the financial aspects of MRI imaging, the authors try to incorporate the consequences of the acquisition of the hardware, as well as the problems of the ongoing operations. In many ways, an MRI facility, when isolated, has the characteristics of a new venture capital project. Many risks have not been determined, and some can only be approximated from their experience in other diagnostic imaging fields. The exercise of developing a break-even analysis is an essential component of decision making under the restructured financial system resulting from diagnosis-related groups. Moreover, since current payment for an investigational device is limited to cost recovery, careful documentation is needed for reimbursement