Most MRI scans are diagnostic images that are ordered by a physician or provider in order to diagnose an issue that has become symptomatic; for example a knee that was hurt playing football.
MRI4Life provides whole body MRI imaging that is safe, fast, and non-invasive. MRI4Life invests heavily in state-of-the-art hardware, a pleasing non-hospital environment, and developed its own acquisition protocols. Beyond the images MRI4Life acquires, the radiologists at MRI4Life are evaluating patients in a screening rather than a diagnostic context and our comprehensive post-scan consultation will help you put the scan to maximum benefit for your health.
In other words, instead of reacting to pain and other symptoms, the MRI4Life team is going on the offensive for the benefit of your long-term health and quality of life. We are looking for problems before they become symptomatic to greatly improve treatment outcomes.
The Advanced Medical Imaging team in conjunction with the radiologists from United Imaging Consultants and the medical staff at Family Centered Medicine have been years in developing this program; a program that utilizes the incredibly advanced capabilities of our Toshiba Titan 1.5T MRI; leveraging its capabilities to safely and accurately screen for some of the most potentially lethal and life altering disease processes.
The scan protocol developed through this multi-disciplinary collaboration focuses on maximizing the conditions screened for while minimizing “table time” for the patient. In truth, this is not significantly different than other “Full Body Imaging” programs, except that these are located very far away from North-East Kansas. All these programs essentially use similar sequences, hardware and table-time. Highly trained radiologists read and interpret the images and create a report that will take a medical dictionary or doctorate to translate.
While the science, technology and professional collaboration is impressive in all Whole Body providers, the true separator of services is the post-scan consultation that you receive with the MRI4Life program; it’s the human part of the equation and the part that will determine the value of the service that you paid for. What good is the information if you don’t understand it and don’t follow up on it?
Dr. Suber and her team at Family Centered Medicine have never failed to treat each patient as a person, giving them the time and energy that most patients only dream of. Dr. Suber and her team at FCM will make sure that your MRI4Life results are fully understood and next steps are completely clear. If you choose to continue with FCM or are already a patient, the FCM team will make sure that the results from the MRI4Life exam is put to maximum use and benefit for you now and going forward with a comprehensive health and longevity plan.
With other services you will walk away with questions. With MRI4Life you will walk away with answers.
Full-body MRI4Life scan — $2,300
We accept Visa, Mastercard, and American Express as well as cash and qualified personal checks
No, we do not add tax to the cost of your MRI4Life scan.
We collect a deposit in order to schedule scan and the remainder or full payment prior to your scan. We accept major credit and debit cards, cash, and personal checks. If a personal check is returned or card fee disputed/refunded, we do charge a $50 fee.
Not at this time. While you may have a rare policy that covers all or part of this cutting-edge screening tool, the vast majority of policies do not. Advanced Medical Imaging only accepts direct patient payment, prior to the exam.
No. Because this is a preventative screening exam and there is no dangerous radiation produced, you can self-refer. We do require a physician or appropriately licensed medical provider (such as your family physician) be named to receive the scan report.
If follow up diagnostic exams are warranted based on evidence from the MRI4Life scan, the named provider will have the MRI4Life report to reference. If Family Centered Medicine is your medical home, then follow-up can be scheduled easily during your post-scan conference.
All MRI4Life scans are eligible for purchase using an FSA/HSA account.
In the US, health savings accounts (HSA) and flexible spending accounts (FSA) are programs that allow you to set aside money (before taxes) for eligible healthcare expenses.
You can book a MRI4Life scan through our normal process and use your FSA/HSA card as you would any other credit card. For indirect reimbursement: After purchasing a scan, you can submit your receipt to your HSA or FSA provider as proof of purchase.
We recommend that you contact your HSA or FSA provider to ensure that a MRI4Life scan meets their requirements, since employers can set their own eligibility rules.
3rd party financing through Care Credit may be available. Ask our staff for further details.
Contact our Program Director. They will be your personal guide through the entire process. You will never have to wonder where to find answers to your questions. She will provide your initial program outline, meet with you to discuss your concerns, process payment, schedule your exam and your post-exam consultation.
Yes. We take a deposit payment of $200* to guarantee your appointment time and date.
*Deposit is refundable if appointment is cancelled
no later than 48 hours before your scheduled appointment.
Your deposit is 100% refundable or transferable up to 48 hours before your appointment. Your specific cancellation deadline details would be included in the email confirmation you will receive after scheduling. After that deadline, your deposit is no longer refundable or transferable.
We have a strict 48-hour cancellation policy. Provided that you contact us more than 48 hours before your scheduled scan, we are happy to accommodate changes or refund your deposit.
To check booking availability, contact our Program Director at 785-856-0224.
If you are flexible as to when you can come to the clinic, we can usually accommodate you within 1 to 2 weeks.
There is no height restriction and our open-bore MRI can accommodate people weighing up to 450 pounds. The scanner diameter bore is 71cm and patients must be smaller than 71 cm at their largest point of measurement (including equipment required for the scan).
We are happy to do our best to accommodate you. Please give us a call at 785-856-0224 to discuss your needs.
We recommend that you fast for 4 hours before your scan so we can take the clearest possible images of your stomach, bowel, and gallbladder. If you slip up and eat, it is not going to prevent us from taking high-quality images and is not a reason to cancel or reschedule your exam.
No, but you will be in the MRI machine for an hour or so without a bathroom break so it is a good idea to limit your fluids intake and to use the restroom just prior to the scan.
If you ate something, don’t worry. It is perfectly safe to still have your scan. Depending on how much you ate, it just means that we may have a slightly more obscured view of your stomach, bowel, and gallbladder.
Our open-bore MRI scanner permits much of your scan to be conducted with your head outside of the magnet, greatly easing claustrophobic feelings.
Your doctor may prescribe you a sedative depending on your level of claustrophobia. Please arrange the sedative prior to your MRI exam and ensure you have arranged a driver or alternate mode of transportation for getting to, and from, your MRI4Life appointment.
If you are or suspect that you might be claustrophobic, you can request a mild sedative from your referring doctor to have with you for your MRI4Life scan. In all cases, your deposit is non-refundable if you are unable to go through with your MRI4Life scan on the day of without proper notice. As part of your orientation consultation, we can take you into the MRI room so that you can become more familiar with the set-up and surroundings prior to your scan day.
There is no need to dress in a particular way for your scan day. You will be given a set of scrubs (top and bottom) to wear during your scan. You can leave your underwear on. Any undergarments with wire or metal zippers, clasps or buttons must be removed prior to scan.
Your belongings are stored in a locker or secure changing room while you are in the MRI. These rooms are accessible only to Advanced Medical Imaging staff and members.
Any metal, or electronic device can interfere with the exam. Never bring any of the following into the examination room: coins, jewelry (please remove all piercings prior to your MRI), keys, cell phone, watch, hearing aids or other electronic/metal devices. A secure, private room to store your valuables is provided.
A MRI4Life MRI is a noninvasive, injection-free, and radiation free procedure that will take a little over an hour to complete. The room is air-conditioned, well-lit, and you will be in contact with an MRI technologist through a two-way intercom.
Prior to the scan, coils that focus signal for increased image clarity will be placed alongside your body. The staff will work to make you comfortable on the table before beginning as image quality depends greatly on remaining still throughout the exam.
The MRI scanner produces bumping and buzzing sounds as it progresses through the protocols. The table will move occasionally to recenter itself to the proper area being scanned. We will offer you some headphones and earplugs to reduce the noise. You can also choose to listen to music to help pass the time. The technologist who operates the scanner will be observing you from the adjacent room throughout the scan. It is important to remain still when images are being acquired. (Some people fall asleep, and that’s ok!)
It is important to be very still during your exam to increase scan quality and clarity. Our technicians will work with you to become as comfortable as possible at the beginning so that you can remain mostly motionless for the entire scan.
There will also be a few short breath-holds of 10-20 seconds. These are performed in order to minimize the chest movement. Your technician will be speaking with you and coaching you through these during the exam. If you are uncertain, it may be a good idea to practice holding your breath while lying still prior to your scan to get the hang of it.
You will be provided with a squeeze ball at the start of the scan. You can squeeze this at any time to alert the technologist performing your scan.
In most cases, no. Of course, if it is an emergency, we will get you out of there to go to the toilet. But the high accuracy of our MRI4Life scan relies on us imaging the same tissue in your body in a number of different ways, while in the same position. If you need to take a break, once you return you will be in another position. If you think this might be a problem you should limit how much you drink to ensure you can last the duration of the scan.
You will generally receive your report and post-scan consultation within 5 to 10 business days. We will contact you to schedule your post-scan consultation as soon as your report is available. We would prefer that you come in for an in-person visit, but for those that traveled for the initial scan or have other challenges, we offer teleconference options for post-scan consultation.
A Radiologist team from United Imaging Consultants reads and interprets your images. Then, they prepare the report of each system that you and your post-scan consultation provider will review together.
Our radiologists produce a detailed medical report for you and your physician that walks them through every system and organ in the body and identifies any abnormal findings. This is produced in a format that your physician is familiar with and will be interpreted with you at your post-scan consultation.
Everyone should expect to see some findings noted on their MRI4Life radiology report. It is the job of the radiologist to interpret those images and communicate effectively in the report on the significance of what is seen. Our program includes a post-scan consultation with a provider from Family Centered Medicine to help interpret the radiology report and provide important next steps, if appropriate.
For example, we diagnose some degree of cervical spine degeneration in almost everyone who is middle-aged. This doesn’t mean that action needs to be taken or is recommended. The Radiology report will often classify these and other common findings as “incidental” findings. Each of these will be reviewed with you in your post-scan conference. One of the great benefits of the MRI4Life program is creating a baseline snapshot of these conditions wherever they exist in the body so that they can be monitored for better disease prevention and treatment outcomes.
Yes! You will receive web access to your images and your radiology report. We will also send the report to your primary care provider or physician of your choice.
Your post-scan consultation will be with a qualified point-of-entry physician or physician assistant (PA) from Family Centered Medicine. While we will not be generating referrals directly from that post-scan consultation, recommendations to the patient will be made with regards to follow-up. If there is a reason for a specific follow-up appointment and you desire to utilize Family Centered Medicine as your primary care provider, then arrangements can be made at the conclusion of your post-consultation scan.
Yes. Currently at MRI4Life, we only screen patients 18 years of age or older.
All information is stored in cloud-based HIPPA compliant servers. The confidential information which we store is accessible only by a small number of staff who must have a medical reason to access the information.
All of our internal data handling procedures are HIPPA compliant and we share respective HIPPA agreements with all of our medical partners. The only people with access to your information are the few staff members that have a necessity to see your information in order to provide the requested service to you.
Unfortunately, no. While there is no harmful radiation that would prevent this, MRI machines are noisy. You are required to wear hearing protection that we furnish to you during your scan, but we don’t have a way to protect your baby’s hearing, which could be damaged.
No, we are unable to scan clients with pacemakers, as there is a risk that the MRI magnetic fields will disrupt its operation.
Possibly. Some infusion pumps are MRI compatible. Please provide us with the model number of your pump two full business days prior to your scan and we will verify whether or not you can safely receive an MRI.
Possibly. We will need the specific implant information two full business days prior to the scan so we can verify whether it is safe to have a scan. Please note that even if it is safe to perform an MRI, the implant will affect the quality of imaging of the head area.
Probably. Most modern implants are MRI-safe. There is a chance that the implant will affect the images we can get from the surrounding area. Please provide all information about the prosthetic at least two full business days prior to your scan.
Yes. Almost all IUDs are MRI-safe. Regardless, we will check the MRI safety of all devices. Please provide all relevant information about your IUD at least two full business days prior to your scan.
Potentially – There is a good possibility because some neurostimulators have an MRI mode that they can be put into before the scan. We will need to know the model at least two full business days prior to your scan.
It depends on the type of clip that has been implanted, so we would need to have more information about it. MRI can be performed safely in patients with non-ferromagnetic aneurysm clips. We will need to know the model at least two full business days prior to your scan.
Yes. Please inform our staff before entering the MRI. Extra precautions for your safety may be required.
Yes.
No and it is safe to have an MRI with dental implants. Dentures should be removed if they are on a metallic plate.
Yes, but the tattoo needs to be at least 6 weeks old. Please inform our staff before entering the MRI so we are aware.
We will discuss your work and hobbies with you and on our intake questionnaire. We may require a quick X-ray to ensure that it is safe for you to have an MRI. If you are questioning or uncertain, please contact us a week or two before your scan so that we can arrange the X-ray if you work in an industry or have a history of metal in your eyes or elsewhere in the body; an MRI is a large powerful magnet that can move ferrous metal with great force, so better operate with an abundance of caution.
Not directly, but MRI images of the brain can be a major part of the evidence for a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or other degenerative brain conditions. MRI can be particularly effective in establishing baseline measurements for future comparison scans. This can produce faster diagnosis which in turn aids in better outcomes.
MRI4Life does extensive scan sequences of the brain and head that can lead to diagnosis of many conditions before they become symptomatic. Please see our list of hundreds of conditions screened for here.
1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance are the clinical standard for MRI across the country. 3.0 Tesla magnets are the largest machines on the market. With the right technique and protocol, 3T machines perform very well for taking faster diagnostic images of small fields of view, like a knee or brain. 3T machines are not well suited to large fields of view like a Whole-body image, as they can cause excessive heat in the body and excessive artifacts (image obscurations from food, gas, implants, etc). The 1.5T machine is the “goldilocks” of MRI machines.
In addition, our machine has the largest bore available and is the quietest machine manufactured, dramatically increasing patient comfort and ease during the exam.
No. The MRI4Life program is a screening tool only and should not be considered as a replacement to any standard clinical guidelines-based targeted screening practices for specific types of cancer or other health conditions, as recommended by your physician.
Blood-based screening tests and MRI4Life’s whole-body MRI scans offer complementary approaches to early detection. MRI4Life’s scans use MRI technology to provide detailed imaging that can identify certain abnormalities in organs and tissues.
For breast cancer screening in particular, mammography is the “standard of care”. The MRI4Life scan should not be considered as a replacement to any standard clinical guideline-based screening practices for breast or other specific types of cancer or health conditions.
It is worth understanding that “imaging the breasts with MRI” is not the same as performing “breast MRI”. While the breasts are imaged as part of the MRI4Life technique and protocol, the MRI4Life does not include the specific techniques involved on a standard dedicated breast MRI. Therefore, regarding breast cancer screening in particular, the MRI4Life scan can be considered an additional screening tool, but not a replacement for dedicated breast imaging as recommended by your physician.
More on the advancement of MRI breast imaging can be found here https://www.verywellhealth.com/difference-between-a-mammogram-and-a-breast-mri-430274
Or in many other locations across the web.
The simple answer is yes. While the MRI4Life scan does image the colon and could possibly detect different cancers or issues in the colon, the MRI4Life screening is not a specific colon-imaging program and we do not utilize bowel preparation prior to MRI4Life scans. Therefore, MRI4Life should be thought of as an adjunct to and not a replacement for colonoscopy or other physician recommended screening. To read more, please see this article:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-mri-detect-colon-cancer
One major reason is the heart is an organ that is in constant motion, therefore we will always have a high degree of motion blurring in the heart images. We are also not including dedicated sequences to specifically evaluate coronary arteries, or utilizing MRI-techniques to evaluate cardiac-function. There are other scans and modalities that your doctor may recommend for cardiac screening.
One such exam is a low-dose Heart Scan or Cardiac Score. This quick and affordable exam provides a look at calcium buildup in the heart and can give physicians a great indication of your heart health in only a few minutes. Ask us about adding this on while you are in.
No. Our MRI4Life screening scans have been designed to be a highly effective contrast-free screening tool. Contrast is typically used in a diagnostic scan application when focusing on a specific joint or organ. For further information please see our list of conditions screened for in the MRI4Life program.
No. All MRIs are radiation-free.
MRI4Life scans do not expose you to harmful ionizing radiation that other imaging methods (X-rays, CT scans, PET scans) use. MRI4Life scans also don’t use intravascular contrast dyes.
There are several advantages that MRI holds over other modalities. Two of the most relevant are a) lack of ionizing-radiation and b) greater soft tissue visibility without the use of contrast or needles. This allows the patient to self-refer for the screening test. You can finally take control of your healthspan instead of waiting for symptoms to arrive and hoping its not too late to play effective defense.
Every modality (MRI, CT, Ultrasound, X-ray, etc) has its own strengths and weaknesses. MRI4Life is a powerful tool that should be used in conjunction with a greater plan developed and customized by you and your physician for your specific needs.
The most notable difference is that CT scans use X-rays while MRIs do not.
CT scans are more widely used and MRIs are thought to be superior in regards to the detail of the image. Other differences between MRI and CT scans include their risks and benefits:
CT scan risks include:
MRI risks include:
You should notify our team prior to an MRI if you have implants including:
Benefits:
Both MRIs and CT scans can view internal body structures. However, a CT scan is faster and can provide pictures of tissues, organs, and skeletal structure.
An MRI is highly adept at capturing images that help doctors determine if there are abnormal tissues within the body. MRIs are more detailed in their images.
MRI’s lack of radiation makes it a uniquely attractive imaging modality for whole-body screening.
The most significant difference is the lack of ionizing radiation with the MRI4Life scan (or MRI exams in general). PET/CT involves significant radiation-dosing. Therefore, in cases of already-diagnosed cancer PET-CT is often the preferred standard for initial staging and treatment-response monitoring in clinical settings. PET-CT is not a reasonable modality for general screening because over the long-term, exposure to ionizing-radiation could actually increase the risk of cancer.
The decision of if/when to start should be individualized based on patient concerns and ideally through consultation with trusted healthcare professionals. From a statistical perspective, cancer-risk generally increases with aging (as does the risk of most diseases) and the addition of certain lifestyle and genetic risk factors.
The idea of preventative health care is not yet a mainstream part of American medicine. Up to this point MRI technology has been used almost exclusively for the purposes of diagnostic imaging of symptomatic problems. What studies have shown regarding preventative whole-body MRI screening is that only 2 or 3 scans out of 100 will produce actionable findings. Of course, this matters a great deal to those 2 or 3 individuals. Those same studies fall short of quantifying the benefit the other 97 receive from having a historical record to use to juxtapose against future scans.
Given the lack of ionizing-radiation and avoidance of IV-contrast, there are no physical risks from undergoing MRI screening. However, there could be other concerns stemming from how to handle indeterminate findings or false-positives. This is the purpose of the in-depth post-scan consultation and further follow-up with your primary care team.
We do not submit the report to any health or insurance system.
Yes, you can book an appointment for another person. However we will need to contact them in order to get their patient history and ensure that the scan is appropriate for them.
Yes – We are happy to work with you to create an account for the gift recipient and credit that account with the amount you wish to gift.
Please check with your tax advisor in the region you are located for the most up to date information specific to your situation.
