Economic costs of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging.

The costs of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging have been carefully accounted during its early use at one institution. Capital requirements total $2,250,000 ($750,000 for construction and $1,500,000 for equipment). The annual operational costs are estimated at $907,000. At the current estimated patient procedure volume of 1,500 per year, an economic break-even point analysis indicates a required charge of $775 per patient procedure. This compares with the current break-even point charge for computed tomography of $342. If patient throughout can be increased to 12 procedures per day, the NMR break-even point charge would be reduced to $402.