Insurance considerations for magnetic resonance imaging installations.

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING: PROCESS AND RISKS Medical diagnostics has made furious progress in recent decades. This development is one of the main reasons why a whole series of malignant diseases can now be identified at an early stage, thus considerably increasing the chances of recovery. Large arrays of apparatus are often required for this, not only in clinics, but also in the practices of the specialist physician. Besides computer imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most sophisticated diagnostic processes used on a large scale for routine examinations in medical diagnostics. Unlike computer imaging, magnetic resonance imaging does not use X-radiation. The patient is placed in a strong magnetic field in combination with a radio-frequency field. The physical effect of the nuclear spin resonance of hydrogen atoms in the tissue generates very weak signals in the receiver coil, which with the help of a special computer system are used to produce an image at a predetermined plane of the part of the body to be examined. Enormous demands are placed on the apparatus for such examinations. The central part of a magnetic resonance scanner is a large, helium-cooled superconducting electromagnet, which can generate a magnetic field that is many thousand times as strong as the magnetic field of the earth. For this reason alone, this kind of apparatus must be installed in specially isolated rooms. For safety reasons, no movable metal objects may be allowed near the apparatus when it is in operation, because the magnetic field is strong enough to attract even heavy objects and propel them through the room. The entire system also warms up during operations and must therefore be actively cooled. Finally, a high-performance computer system is also needed to record and analyze the data. The cost of purchasing an MRI system runs into the millions of dollars. In view of the sums involved, the operator of an MRI system will obviously take out property insurance, normally in the form of an electronic equipment insurance policy. But one risk remains that is not to be taken lightly: any damage that may occur usually has to be repaired on the spot because simply replacing large system components is out of the question. The electromagnet alone weighs several tonnes. The repair work itself and the subsequent job of calibration may well take many days. During this time, operations are at a standstill, and patients must be referred to other practices. Long downtimes may seriously threaten a specialist’s very existence in economic terms. Insurance Considerations for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Installations