Since our office must receive your MRI test results and images before your next appointment, we recommend that you schedule your MRI 30 days or more before your next appointment, whether you have it at a UPMC or non-UPMC location. The report and images must be available to your health care provider at your appointment.
Results will be provided to you through MyUPMC or by letter. If you have not received notice of your results, please call us or request them though MyUPMC. You may also view your own results on MyUPMC (lab work and radiology tests) that were completed at a UPMC site or Quest laboratory. Please note lab work and imaging completed at non-UPMC or QUEST facilities may lead to a delay in review. We strive to review all imaging and results within a week of completion date, however due to the volume of patients treated within our center, there may be unforeseen delays. If you do not have a MyUPMC account, please view our MyUPMC page to sign up.
Please follow the procedures below:
UPMC Location
Scheduling your MRI at a UPMC facility will save time and effort on both your part and the office staff in obtaining the images and reports for review. If your insurance dictates that you must obtain an MRI at a non-UPMC location, you are responsible for sending or having the CD with images sent to our office and having the report faxed. Our providers will order your MRI and our authorization staff will obtain an insurance authorization. You will receive a phone call and/or MyUPMC message letting you know that the MRI has been authorized and that you are free to schedule. If you complete the exam without authorization, you may be responsible for the cost of the exam. Some labs required prior to your MRI may also require authorization. Depending on when your provider requests the MRI to be completed, our scheduling staff may be able to assist you with scheduling. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, please contact our office. Please see the forms section for the Authorization for Release of Protected Health Information Form.
If you have questions regarding the cost of your MRI, you can call your insurance carrier and/or also contact UPMC’s Cost Estimator at 1-800-371-8359 extension 5 if your imaging will be completed at a UPMC facility.
Non-UPMC Location
When you have your MRI completed outside the UPMC imaging locations, the MRI center must mail or fax the results (and/or disk) to our office, which takes up to two weeks. Then, we have to allow two additional weeks to transfer the paper report to your computer chart in our office. If possible, please bring a disk containing your MRI with you to your next office visit. This is when the physician will review your MRI with you.
If you change MRI locations, it is imperative that YOU provide previous scan results to the radiology center. This is the only way the radiologist or neurologist can determine if there are changes on your scan. Please ask your former location for a disk copy of your last MRI to bring to your new location.