Computed Tomography (CT) Scans

• Bring your health card with you.
• If for some reason you cannot make your appointment, inform the CT department as soon as possible.
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing with minimal snaps or zippers (they will have to be removed).
• Inform your physician and the technologists if you are, or think you may be, pregnant.
• Arrive at the hospital admitting department 30 minutes before your exam.

Preparation for your exam may be different, depending on the type of exam that you will have. Follow the specific instructions given by the department where you will be having your exam.

If you have questions that can't be answered by your care provider, this website or the Saskatchewan Health Authority website, try contacting the hospital department where you'll be having your exam, or the local Client Concern Specialist.

There are now a total of 16 scanners accessible to residents of Saskatchewan, 15 permanent, hospital-based CT suites and one community-based provider of CT services.

Find the wait times patients have recently experienced, and information about wait time targets in Saskatchewan: Medical Imaging Wait Times.

As a patient, you should discuss with your physician if you are concerned about the length of your wait time. If there are any changes to your condition, ask that your ordering physician consult with a radiologist. 

The ultimate responsibility for prioritization rests with the attending radiologist after consultation with the referring physician.

The technologist will ask you to lie still on the table. Once you lie down, the automated table will move you slowly through the tunnel while the machine takes pictures. One pass through the tunnel results in multiple pictures, or slices, of the area being scanned.  If contrast media (x-ray dye) is needed for your exam, it will be inserted through an intravenous tube (IV) into your hand or arm, or given orally.

The entire process can take a few minutes to an hour, depending on the complexity of your exam.

Patients have the option to choose to directly pay a private facility for a CT scan in Saskatchewan. Private facilities that conduct a private CT scan must also provide a second scan at no charge to an individual who is waiting on the public list.

The process

A physician referral is required to obtain a CT, to ensure all CTs conducted in Saskatchewan are medically necessary. If you have already been referred for a CT scan and are interested in completing a private CT scan, contact your ordering physician or a licensed CT facility to determine if this is a viable option for you and to have your referral redirected to a licensed CT facility.

If your physician determines that you need a CT scan and you are interested in completing a private CT scan, talk to your ordering physician. Once a referral from an appropriate physician is obtained, a person wishing to pay for a CT will take that referral directly to a licensed private facility to book an appointment, or have their ordering physician send the referral on their behalf. Only specially-trained physicians with appropriate privileges in the area where they practice may order a CT in Saskatchewan.

After completing a private CT scan, the private facility will provide a scan of similar complexity to a patient on the public list, at no charge to that second patient. Using a list of names provided by health providers, the private facility will contact the first individual waiting on the public list, offering two opportunities to receive the scan within 14 days. If that person is not available, the facility will move to the next patient on the list. Within seven days of providing the second scan, the CT facility will notify the health authority that the service has been completed, to assist with keeping the public list up to date.

As this is a private service, government will not set the price of a private CT scan. Each private facility will set its own price based on factors that include complexity of scan, market demand and its own business model. Any patient who chooses to pay for CT services offered by a private facility will not be eligible for cost coverage or reimbursement from the provincial government.

Licensed private-pay CT facilities

• Please contact a licensed facility directly for information about services.
• You must have a referral from your specially-trained physician with appropriate privileges in the area where they practice.
• Cost of a CT exam will be dependent upon the type of CT exam that your doctor has ordered and is not eligible for reimbursement by the Ministry of Health.