Accidents occur at MRI facilities daily, from the seeming-innocuous screening incidents to the potentially fatal missile events. For too long, these sorts of accidents and ‘near misses’ have been written-off as an acceptable ‘cost of doing business’ for MRI. But that doesn’t have to be the case.

A facility with an unprepared MRI suite can expect major accidents to occur on average of once every three to five years. And while no safety preparations can eliminate the risks, a number of improvements to MRI suites can have profound impacts, improving the efficacy of suite safety protocols and reducing accidents.

Major missile accidents start at a cost of around $25,000. With equipment damage, the out-of-pocket costs of a single accident can be ten times the base figure. And if a patient or staff member is injured, the litigation, settlement and public relations consequences of an accident can have profound and lasting financial consequences.

But at around $20 per minute of MRI scanner time, the accumulated throughput-loss resulting from minor safety and screening incidences quickly adds up to tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a year.

The moral of the story, safety pays generous, lifelong dividends! Invest in the safety of your patients, staff and equipment.