Costs
The costs for an MRI examination are based on the uniform assessment standard (EBM) for patients with health insurance and on the scale of fees for doctors (GOÄ) for private patients. If an MRI examination is medically necessary, the costs for patients with health insurance are covered by the health insurance company. If an imaging of one or more joints or sections of extremities is performed without medical necessity (self-pay patients, private patients), the price is €251.80 (as of March 2017). For private patients, the attending physician can charge 1.8 times the billing rate if the examination is of average difficulty and duration (high difficulty and duration: 2.3 times the billing rate). The administration of a contrast medium also costs the private patient an additional fee.
With or without contrast medium
The majority of MRI examinations of the ankle joint are performed without the administration of contrast medium. Depending on the problem or if the results are unclear, the application of contrast medium via a vein during the examination may be indicated. Contrast agents are used to improve the imaging of blood-supplied sections.
The gadolinium chelate, which is the most frequently used contrast medium, causes surrounding atomic nuclei to return to their original state more quickly after their excitation. As a result, they can be more clearly distinguished from one another in the MRI image (stronger black and white contrast). The administration of contrast medium is therefore mainly used for examinations of inflammation or tumor-like structures in the ankle area.
Both inflammations and tumors are strongly perfused with blood, which results in a strong accumulation of contrast medium. Which might also be of interest to you: MRI with contrast medium – is that dangerous?
