What is typical waiting time for an MRI scan as a holder of health insurance?

Waiting times for operations and diagnostic testing is just one of the reasons that many people today have opted to take out health insurance.  Waiting times on the NHS have come down in recent years, but with another government in power, there are cuts to be made to public services, and it is thought that one of the cuts will be to the NHS, which will probably in theory have an impact on the waiting time.  The private sector, however, will not suffer these cuts and can still offer quite reasonable waiting times for diagnostic testing.

What is diagnostic testing?

Diagnostic testing, is a test which is carried out medically to detect a disease or aid in the detection of a diagnosis.  For example, the  following can be used for diagnostic testing:

•    MRI scanning
•    CT scanning
•    Ultrasound scanning
•    X-ray

The above are referred to as diagnostic testing and are able to help to confirm that a patient is free from a disease such as cancer, to diagnose a disease, and are also used to find out if there has been any progress in a disease, or if there has been good recovery from a disease. 

What is typical waiting time for MRI scan?

The waiting time in the private sector for an MRI scan can vary from hospital to hospital, but, sometimes, depending on how busy the scanner is at certain times, you can expect to be seen more or less straight away.  At busier times you could be waiting for a couple of weeks at the most.  It is worth checking with your local private hospital for the waiting times at present. 

Can I have my MRI results the same day?

The scan will first have to be read by the Consultant Radiologist, who will then dictate the result for the Medical Secretary to type.  If your consultant has requested that the scan be done as a matter of urgency, then the result can sometimes be hurried through.  The result will then be sent on to the referring doctor, or consultant, who can then advise you of the result in due course.  It is worth noting that the Consultant Radiologist will not usually give you the result on the day, he will pass the result on to your consultant or GP.