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Contrast media (a dye to increase visual contrast) may be required for your exam. Contrast media will either be provided orally or inserted through an intravenous tube (IV) in your hand or arm.
An MRI machine has a slightly longer patient tunnel than a CT machine. Patients lie inside a large cylinder while the machine produces a scan. An MRI machine makes a banging noise while it is working.Ensure that your exam is the most appropriate test to investigate your condition. Your care provider has access to published guidelines that suggest which type of test is most appropriate for your condition. Talk with your care provider to ensure the test that is ordered for you is the most appropriate for your condition.
There are seven hospital-based MRI scanners in Saskatchewan. In addition, one mobile MRI unit operated by Alberta Health Services (AHS) visits the Lloydminster Hospital for two weeks every two months. The location and contact information for the Imaging Department(s) are as follows:
Location | Imaging Dept. |
Moose Jaw - Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital |
306-694-0381 |
Regina General Hospital (2) | 306-766-0561 |
Saskatoon - Royal University Hospital (2) - Saskatoon City Hospital - St. Paul's Hospital |
306-655-2412 |
Lloydminster Hospital | 306-820-6000 |
There are also four community-based clinics contracted by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and licensed by the Ministry of Health to perform patient private-pay MRI services. There are two clinics in Regina and two in Saskatoon. A physician’s referral is required to access these services.
See Private-pay MRI Services for more information.
Since radiation is not used during an MRI exam, the procedure can be repeated without increased radiation exposure.
Tell your doctor/nurse practitioner if:
You should talk to your doctor about any concerns you may have. If the issue hasn’t been resolved by the time you are ready for your MRI, talk to the hospital imaging department.
Find out 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 or if there are any changes to your condition, and 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.
Explore options for a shorter wait
Wait times are affected by factors such as a hospital's capacity to provide scans and the local level of demand for services.
If you are waiting for an MRI exam and are willing and able to travel, ask your physician about the possibly of having your scan done sooner in another facility.
Patients have the option to choose to directly pay a private facility for a MRI scan in Saskatchewan. Private facilities that conduct a private MRI scan must also provide a second scan at no charge to an individual who is waiting on the public list.
A physician referral is required to obtain an MRI, to ensure all MRIs conducted in Saskatchewan are medically necessary. If you have already been referred for an MRI scan and are interested in completing a private MRI scan, contact your ordering physician or a licensed MRI facility to determine if this is a viable option for you and to have your referral redirected to a licensed MRI facility.
If your physician determines that you need an MRI scan and you are interested in completing a private MRI scan, talk to your ordering physician. Once a referral from an appropriate physician is obtained, a person wishing to pay for an MRI 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 an MRI in Saskatchewan.
After completing a private MRI 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 MRI 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 MRI 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 MRI services offered by a private facility will not be eligible for cost coverage or reimbursement from the provincial government.
National Medical Imaging Clinic | Mayfair Diagnostics Saskatoon |
107 - 2325 Preston Avenue Saskatoon, SK S7J 2G2 Phone: 306-934-6741 Fax: 306-934-6742 |
115 - 210 Avenue P South Saskatoon, SK S7M 2W2 Phone: 306-664-8600 Fax: 306-664-8601 |
Mayfair Diagnostics Regina | Open Skies MRI Diagnostics |
135 - 1621 Albert Street Regina, SK S4P 2S5 Phone: 306-569-9729 Fax: 306-569-3337 |
2727 Parliament Avenue Regina, SK S4S 6X5 Phone: 306-352-6736 Fax: 306-586-4674 |
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