Tests and results
Before an MRI, CT, or Ultrasound: the Practical Part
Price-shop the scan, confirm the authorization, know where the report goes, and get your images on disc - the admin side of imaging.
The clinical instructions for a scan - contrast, fasting, metal, what to wear - come from the imaging center and your doctor. Follow theirs. What nobody hands you is the administrative side, and with imaging, the administrative side is where the money and the follow-up both live.
Price-shop before you book
The same MRI can differ by thousands of dollars depending on where the machine sits. A hospital’s imaging department and a freestanding imaging center can produce equivalent scans at wildly different prices, and your doctor’s order usually works at either. Get the CPT code - the five-character billing code for the exact scan - from the order or the front desk, then call two or three locations:
“What is your price for this exact scan with my insurance, and what is the self-pay price?”
The comparison method is in what things actually cost. Confirm the facility is in network with your plan while you’re at it - in-network vs out-of-network covers the check. And know that the radiologist who reads your scan bills separately from the facility. Two bills for one scan is normal, not an error.
Confirm the prior authorization
MRIs and CTs commonly require prior authorization. The ordering office usually submits it. Verify it landed before your appointment:
“I’m scheduled for [scan] on [date] at [facility]. Is the prior authorization approved? Can I have the authorization number?”
Showing up without an approved authorization can mean rescheduling at best and a full-price bill at worst. If it was denied, how to appeal a denied claim covers what comes next.
Know where the report goes
You will probably never meet the person who interprets your scan. A radiologist reads the images and writes a report; the report goes to the doctor who ordered the scan; that doctor explains it to you. Before you leave the imaging center, ask:
- How long until the report is finalized?
- Who calls me - this office or my doctor’s?
- What do I do if nobody calls by then?
Then hold them to it. If the date passes in silence, call the ordering doctor’s office, not the imaging center. The report is almost certainly sitting in their queue.
The report will likely reach your portal first
Radiology reports now release to patient portals when finalized, often before your doctor has read them. They are written by one doctor for another, in language built for precision, not reassurance - “unremarkable” is good news, and incidental findings get described in detail regardless of importance. Reading one cold is like reading a lab report cold, and the same discipline from understanding your lab report applies: note what you want explained, and bring the questions to the conversation instead of the search bar.
Ask for your images
The report is the interpretation; the images are the raw material, and you are entitled to both. At check-in or checkout, ask:
“Can I get a copy of my images on disc or by download link?”
It is often free or a small media fee, and easiest to get on the day. If you ever want another radiologist or specialist to take a second look, they will want the actual images, not just the report - getting a second opinion explains when that comes up.
Before the scan, in order:
- Price and network status checked at more than one location.
- Authorization number in hand.
- Report timeline and owner confirmed before you leave.
- Images requested on disc or by link.
- Questions written down before the follow-up conversation, not during it.
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