I want to save the NHS some money

Robin9

Following a diagnosis and an initial scan my GP has referred me to two adjacent trusts which have good reputations for Endocrinology and Neurology.  Treatment is good with both as is the prognosis. There is quite an overlap but they won't talk to each other.  I appreciate that both consultants are specialists.

I have Brain Scan MRI's due with both this next month but they both seem to be completely self contained and want to do their own thing - - both are aware of the two referrals. What does  a MRI cost ?  £500 ... £1000.

LightFlare

Somewhere in that price bracket is about the going rate privately.

Could be as low as 2-300 and high as 2500+ depending on the scope of the scan.

Some scans take 15min - others an hour or so

TadleyBaggie

Personally if it was my health, have as many MRI as they want to do.

LightFlare

TadleyBaggie said:

Personally if it was my health, have as many MRI as they want to do.

Agree - it is likely that the 2 diff trusts and specialist want very particular image sequences that the other may not be able to produce. 

As things get more “specialist” this becomes more likey

Okell

There is no real "cost" to the NHS of doing two different scans.  You won't be costing the NHS anything extra.

The fact that you might get charged £1000 if you went private doesn't mean it will cost either of the trusts an "unnecessary" £1000 if they both do scans.

The only cost is the opportunity cost of you having a scan that somebody else could have had, but all you are doing is delaying their scan for a few hours or days at the most.

And as others have said, the two different consultants may want different image sequences.


(Even if the scans are outsourced to a private provider it makes no real difference.  They'll be cotracted to do nnn number of scans per annum or per month at a conntract value of ££££££.  Your second scan is marginal)