From a press release:

Recently, Center for Diagnostic Imaging (CDI) held an open house at their Renton outpatient medical imaging center. Attendees, including members of the local medical community, businesses and the Chamber of Commerce, visited with clinic staff and radiologists and viewed the technology, including the only Open Upright MRI available in Washington State.

The Open Upright MRI scanner is visibly different than a traditional MRI “tube” or open-side system. With nothing in front of the patient’s face for most exams, patients can complete their MRI while watching TV.

“A lot of patients don’t realize that there is a dramatic difference in the MRI experience depending on where they go for care,” Kim Suggett, director of operations for CDI explained in a press release. “Beyond the differences in expertise of the clinical teams providing that care, the scanners themselves vary. Getting into the right MRI depends on the patient – their size, weight, concerns about claustrophobia – as well as what their doctor is looking for in referring the exam.”

In addition to being open, the Open Upright MRI can image patients in the position that triggers their symptoms, from standing to sitting to bending, if results from a traditional scan are inconclusive. To have an MRI on the Open Upright MRI, there is no additional cost and the technology has the same insurance reimbursement as a traditional MRI.

“We’d like the community to know that where they go for medical imaging is up to them,” continued Suggett. “At CDI, we have a highly-respected clinical team with local, fellowship-trained radiologists writing each patient report. And we tend to cost 30 to 50 percent less than hospital-based providers for the same exam because we are focused only on imaging and related services without the high overhead of providing other types of care.”

CDI offers care in seven outpatient locations throughout Puget Sound. The CDI center in Renton is located at 220 SW 43rd Street and is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday – Friday.

In addition to the Open Upright MRI, they offer high-field MRI, low-dose CT, X-ray and diagnostic and therapeutic injections. View a brief video of the Open Upright MRI on CDI’s website at myCDI.com/WA.