MRI is the scan doctors use to look at soft tissue in detail: brain, spine, joints, abdomen and pelvis. It uses a strong magnet and radio waves, not radiation. This guide goes deeper than the imaging guide: what makes one MRI machine more advanced than another, how the public and private routes differ in BC, and where to go in Greater Vancouver.
What 'advanced' means: 3T vs 1.5T
MRI machines are rated by magnetic field strength, in Tesla. Most hospital and community scanners are 1.5T. A 3T machine has double the field strength. In practice that means sharper pictures with more detail, especially for small structures like fine brain tissue, small joint structures and early signs of disease. 3T is not for everyone: the stronger magnet rules out some implants, so always tell the clinic about anything metal in your body.
You still need a requisition
In BC, a diagnostic MRI always needs a requisition signed by a doctor or another authorized provider. This rule applies to private clinics too. A family doctor, a walk-in clinic, a UPCC or a telehealth doctor can all write one after assessing you. The one exception is screening: some clinics let healthy people book a screening scan, such as a whole-body scan, without symptoms and without a requisition. Screening and diagnosis are different things, and a screening scan does not replace a diagnostic workup when you have symptoms.
Public route: MSP covers it, but you wait
With a requisition, your doctor sends it to the Lower Mainland central intake (1-866-588-6954), which books you at a hospital imaging department. Hospitals with MRI in Greater Vancouver include Vancouver General (604-875-4684), UBC Hospital (604-822-7720), Burnaby Hospital (604-412-6271) and Richmond Hospital (604-244-5104 ext 1). Cases are triaged by urgency: urgent cases are seen fast, and non-urgent cases typically wait months (median wait in BC about 19 weeks, Fraser Institute 2025). If your symptoms change while you wait, tell the ordering doctor. Your priority can be reassessed. Reports go to the doctor who ordered the scan, not to you directly, so agree on how you will hear the result before you leave.
Private route: faster, and you pay
Private clinics in BC do not bill MSP for MRI. You pay out of pocket, and the price depends on the body part and whether contrast is used. Diagnostic scans at Greater Vancouver private clinics start around 720 to 850 dollars, and more complex scans cost more. There is usually no waitlist: appointments within days, sometimes within 24 to 48 hours. Reports typically reach your doctor within one to four business days, depending on the clinic. Before paying, ask your doctor whether the result would change your treatment.
This site has no partnership with any clinic named here; check each clinic’s own site for current prices.
Where to go in Greater Vancouver
The clinics below are listed by area, in no particular order. This is not a recommendation, and prices change, so confirm the price for your body part by phone before booking. Priority Diagnostics (MRI), Richmond: a 3T clinic at 2158-13353 Commerce Parkway, near the airport in a business park. Phone 778-234-7674. Diagnostic scans start at 850 dollars; the clinic homepage advertises scans from 750 dollars. Note the map listing name is Priority Diagnostics (MRI): searching only for Priority MRI can miss it. Access MRI, Surrey: 15137 56 Avenue, in the Panorama Village shopping centre at Highway 10 and 152 Street. Phone 604-575-5566. Diagnostic scans start at 720 dollars, no waitlist, and scans can sometimes be booked with 24 to 48 hours notice. Reports reach your doctor within four business days. Canada Diagnostic Centres, Vancouver: 136-555 West 12th Avenue. Phone 604-709-8522. Private MRI and CT, not covered by MSP. Appointments usually within days to weeks, and reports within one business day. Pacific West MRI: a 3T clinic offering whole-body screening from 2,699 dollars, with reports in 24 to 48 hours and a direct consultation with the reading radiologist. Screening is not a substitute for a diagnostic scan when you have symptoms.
Diagnostic or screening: do not mix them up
A diagnostic scan answers a specific question about a symptom: a sore knee, headaches, back pain. Your doctor orders it and gets the report. A screening scan looks for problems in someone with no symptoms. Screening can find things early, but it can also find harmless things that lead to more tests. If you have symptoms, get a diagnostic scan through a doctor, not a screening package.
Before you book: safety and questions
Tell the clinic about any implant or metal in your body: pacemakers, aneurysm clips, cochlear implants, or metal from an injury. Some implants are not safe in MRI, and 3T is too strong for some that are fine at 1.5T. If you are claustrophobic, ask what helps: earbuds, breaks between sequences, or a sedative prescribed by your doctor. Three questions worth asking before you pay: will this result change my treatment, who gets the report, and how long until my doctor has it.
When not to wait for an MRI
An MRI wait is for stable problems. Sudden weakness or numbness on one side, sudden trouble speaking, a severe head injury, or new numbness around the saddle area with bladder changes are emergencies. Do not wait months for a scan for those. Go to an emergency department or call 911.
Prices, hours and machines change. Confirm by phone or on the clinic website before you go, and always discuss the result with the doctor who ordered the scan. For the general rules on imaging referrals, see the imaging guide. For what happens after a referral, see the specialist referral guide.