MRI scans and copying medical reports

A close friend of mine went to Sunrise for a brain MRI, and they found a tumor. She ended up having surgery at the Mayo Clinic, but because the tumor is in such an awkward spot, they were only able to remove about 20% of it. Two months after the surgery, she went back to Sunrise for follow-up imaging. Both times, they only gave her one single copy of the scans. Right now, she’s undergoing radiation therapy at a specialized cancer center.
By total coincidence, I reconnected with a high school friend who actually works in the US at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and they are currently deep in brain tumor research!!!
She is surrounded by top-tier experts—researchers, neurosurgeons, you name it...
After consulting with them, they’ve expressed a real willingness to review my friend's scans, offer their expert opinion on a treatment plan, and might even see her in person for an evaluation.
Here’s the catch:
I need to get her imaging sent over via digital media (like a CD) or provide the originals. When my friend asked the staff at Sunrise if they could just burn a CD with her head scans or print out extra copies, they told her it was impossible.
Since she only has one set of images, we can't just hand them over; she needs them here for her ongoing treatment (plus, we don't want to risk her being left with nothing).
So, my questions are:
Does anyone know if MRI scans can be copied, or
Is it actually true that it's impossible to get a CD or additional copies???

Thanks in advance for any help!!!

ladybug_lover said:A friend of mine went to Sunrise for a brain MRI, and they found a tumor. She had surgery at the Mayo Clinic, and then two months later, she went back to Sunrise for another scan. Both times, they only gave her one single hard copy of the actual images. Right now, she’s undergoing radiation at a specialized cancer center. They could only remove about 20% of the tumor during surgery because of where it's sitting—it's in a pretty tricky spot.
By some stroke of luck, I got in touch with an old high school friend who works at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the US, and they are actually doing cutting-edge brain tumor research right now!!!
She's surrounded by top-tier experts—researchers, neurosurgeons, the whole nine yards...
She consulted with them, and they've been incredibly kind about offering to review my friend's scans, give their take on the situation, suggest treatment options, and even see her in person.
But here's the catch:
I need to get those scans over to them on a digital medium (like a CD) or send the originals. My friend asked the folks at Sunrise if they could just burn a CD with her head scans or print out copies, and they told her it was impossible.
Since she only has that one set of images, we can't exactly mail them off—she needs them here for her ongoing treatment (plus, you know, for peace of mind so she isn't left with nothing).
So, my question is:
Does anyone know if MRI scans can be copied, or
Is it actually true that getting a CD or copies is impossible???

Thanks everyone for the help!!!

I am so sorry to hear about your friend. You can definitely get copies made, but honestly, it usually just depends on whether the clinic feels like being helpful. I've had no trouble getting mine before.

I’ve received my MRI results on a disc. Technically, it’s a simple enough request—someone should probably just nudge Sunrise to get a duplicate made for me. Another option would be for her to just take photos of the MRI scans herself and send those over instead.

If you can grab those hospital photos for me for a day or two, I can run them through a better photo lab to get them scanned and burned onto a CD

Hey... I was wondering if anyone knows how much an MRI costs if you go through a private clinic? Like, without needing a referral from your doctor that has to be cleared by some specialist first—I heard that's a requirement... Basically, what kind of out-of-pocket cost am I looking at for the scan????
Thx

If I recall correctly, it’s somewhere between 1800 and 2500

*Fiona* said:Hey... I was wondering what an MRI costs if you go privately? Like, without getting a referral from your doctor that has to be cleared by a specialist first—I heard that's how it works... Basically, how many dollars am I looking at for the scan????
Thx

A friend of mine had one done twice and paid about $1667 total, so roughly $833 per scan, though keep in mind prices for a brain MRI versus other parts of the body can vary a bit!

Look, I’ve got a few questions regarding an MRI, and if anyone could point me in the right direction, I’d really appreciate it. Honestly, given how much our healthcare system struggles, it feels like you either need serious political connections or you have to be on the brink of death just to get a specialist to actually bother looking at you and ordering an MRI. Apparently, since they're such a massive expense for the hospital, they only approve them in "extreme cases."
Basically, I want to know what a knee MRI runs you in terms of cash, and how long the waitlist is if I decide to just go private.

They’re charging $533.

THX Justin Price2... 😉
Man, my wallet is taking a massive beating right now (and then some) 😢

Maybe they should just ask her to explain exactly what she's looking for...
Did your friend actually experience any symptoms beforehand, or did she just decide to go in for an MRI out of the blue?

Melissa Moore39 says:

Someone should probably ask her what she actually needs it for...
Did your friend even have symptoms first, or did she just decide on a whim to go get an MRI???

If you’re talking about my post regarding paying out-of-pocket for an MRI... here’s the deal. I was asking for myself. To be honest, not a single specialist I’ve seen so far—and trust me, I’ve seen plenty—would authorize an MRI. I’m at the point where I’m ready to just lose my mind dealing with these hospital systems and just pay privately for the scan and treatments. Even my own doctor told me straight up that we absolutely need to do an MRI because my condition isn't improving at all, regardless of whatever therapy I try. But since this doctor is in private practice too, his recommendation doesn't carry much weight with the insurance companies; I still have to go through a specialist and practically beg them to approve it. I’m not about to do that, though, because this whole situation regarding my health has become way too complicated—all thanks to these "top-tier" specialists who are supposedly so great. Unfortunately, when stuff like this hits you, you realize how much our country is basically in a coma. They always seem to obsess over minor bureaucratic nonsense instead of focusing on basic, essential care...
Sorry for the massive wall of text... I just felt the need to vent a bit about my miserable experience...

Anonymous said:A close friend of mine went to Sunrise for a brain MRI, and they found a tumor. She ended up having surgery at the Mayo Clinic, but because the tumor is in such an awkward spot, they were only able to remove about 20% of it. Two months after the surgery, she went back to Sunrise for follow-up imaging. Both times, they only gave her one single copy of the scans. Right now, she’s undergoing radiation therapy at a specialized cancer center.
By total coincidence, I reconnected with a high school friend who actually works in the US at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and they are currently deep in brain tumor research!!!
She is surrounded by top-tier experts—researchers, neurosurgeons, you name it...
After consulting with them, they’ve expressed a real willingness to review my friend's scans, offer their expert opinion on a treatment plan, and might even see her in person for an evaluation.
Here’s the catch:
I need to get her imaging sent over via digital media (like a CD) or provide the originals. When my friend asked the staff at Sunrise if they could just burn a CD with her head scans or print out extra copies, they told her it was impossible.
Since she only has one set of images, we can't just hand them over; she needs them here for her ongoing treatment (plus, we don't want to risk her being left with nothing).
So, my questions are:
Does anyone know if MRI scans can be copied, or
Is it actually true that it's impossible to get a CD or additional copies???

Thanks in advance for any help!!!

Maybe she should give them a more detailed explanation regarding why she needs them...
I wonder, did your friend experience any specific symptoms beforehand, or did she just decide to go in for an MRI on a whim?