What criteria should I pay attention to when choosing a place to perform an MRI? The MRI is done to diagnose the source of pain in an articulation (e.g., elbow tendinopathy).
One criterion is the number of teslas the MRI scanner has, as it might impact the quality of the diagnosis. What else should I consider?
I am only interested in criteria that could affect the quality of medical care the patient receives (e.g., one can ignore health insurance considerations).
A higher Tesla magnet generally equates to a higher quality image. Closed (the traditional round-shaped magnet bore) or oval MRIs generally produce a higher quality image than open MRIs, so avoid an open MRI unless you're severely claustrophobic. A newer MRI machine would be preferable to one installed, say, 15 or 20 years ago, all other factors being equal. That's really about it. The skill of the radiologist who will be reading the MRI is certainly important, but that's not something you can easily compare or choose.
