Full body MRI in New York, what it costs and whether it is worth it

What a scan costs in New York

Prenuvo lists a clinic in New York City [1]. Its Whole Body Scan costs about $2,500 and takes about 50 minutes. It covers the brain, spine, chest, abdomen, pelvis and more, and the price includes the radiologist's report and a consultation with Prenuvo's clinical team [2].

The Enhanced Scan costs about $4,000 and adds a brain health assessment, a body composition analysis and blood panels to the whole body scan. The Executive Membership, which adds a heart assessment in some markets and a second blood panel at six months, costs about $4,500 in New York City against about $4,000 elsewhere. The Focused Scan, from the head to the middle of the thighs, costs about $1,200 [2].

Ezra lists Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens among its locations [3]. Its Annual MRI costs about $1,000 and covers the head, neck, abdomen and pelvis in 22 minutes. The MRI with Spine costs about $1,700, and the MRI with Skeletal and Neurological Assessment costs about $4,000 and is done in two sessions of about an hour each [4].

What each scan leaves out

Each provider publishes what its scans leave out, and the lists are worth reading before you choose. Ezra says its Annual MRI does not include the chest, lungs, heart, breasts, arms and legs, oesophagus or bowel, and that its most extensive scan still leaves out the chest, lungs and heart [4].

Prenuvo's Focused Scan leaves out the arms, the spine and the check for an aortic aneurysm. Its heart assessment reports how the heart muscle is working, and Prenuvo states that it does not diagnose heart disease or blocked arteries [2].

For the arteries of the heart, Ezra sells a separate CT calcium score for about $350, which takes about five minutes [4].

What a scan finds

Most people who have a whole body scan are told about something. Across 12 studies of 5,373 adults with no symptoms, 32.1% had a finding that radiologists judged critical or uncertain. In the six studies that reported it, 16.0% of findings proved to be false alarms, and none of the studies checked for more than five years that a normal scan stayed normal [5].

Findings that might be serious are less common. A BMJ review of 32 studies and 27,643 adults found them on 3.9% of brain and body scans, or 12.8% once findings of uncertain importance were added. Of the 234 such findings that were followed up, 48 proved to be serious [6].

What radiologists and the Task Force recommend

The American College of Radiology does not recommend total body MRI screening for people without symptoms, risk factors or a family history of disease. It says there is no documented evidence that the scan is cost efficient or helps people live longer, and that its non specific findings can lead to unnecessary tests, procedures and expense [7].

The screening with trial evidence behind it is set out by the US Preventive Services Task Force. A whole body MRI has not been tested against these tests, so keep up with them whatever you decide about a scan.

• Colorectal cancer screening is recommended for adults aged 45 to 75 [8].
• Screening mammography is recommended every two years for women aged 40 to 74 [9].
• A yearly low-dose CT of the lungs is recommended for adults aged 50 to 80 with a smoking history of at least 20 pack-years who smoke now or quit within the past 15 years [10].

Questions to ask before you book

A scan suits someone who wants a baseline, expects that something will probably be found and has a doctor who will decide calmly what needs following up. It suits less well someone who would worry for months over a small cyst. If you are pregnant or have a pacemaker or another metal implant, tell the clinic before you book.

• Which parts of my body does this scan cover, and which does it leave out?
• Who reports the scan, and when will I have the report?
• Will a doctor go through the findings with me, and does that cost extra?
• If something is found, who arranges the next test, and who pays for it?
• Am I up to date with the screening the Task Force recommends for my age?

How a scan will work with us

Our full body MRI in New York costs from $2,750, read by a consultant radiologist. Your own doctor will go through each finding with you, decide with you what needs a second look and arrange any further test you need.