Some Albertans booked for MRI scans into 2026 as diagnostic wait times grow

November 7, 2024 Canuck

Increasing demand in Alberta for diagnostic imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans means more appointments are being made months out, with some Albertans waiting more than a year to get a publicly funded scan.

Alberta Health Services says it aims to increase the number of those scans performed this year by about 57,000 and is outsourcing a small percentage to private operators.

“With our growing population, our aging population, we know we need to do more. So, we’re absolutely looking at how we can increase those numbers,” said Adriana LaGrange, Alberta’s minister of health.

Calgarian Karen Smee says she lives with excruciating pain every day and needs an MRI of her spine for a proper diagnosis.

She received a referral from her doctor last month and was booked in for a scan in March 2026.

“At first, I looked at (my appointment letter) and thought, ‘Oh gosh, it’s five months, it’s next March. Well, that isn’t too bad,'” she said.

“Then, I realized I had the year wrong, and it was actually 17 months—2026.”

Many private diagnostic operators in Alberta have availability for MRI and CT scan appointments within days or weeks, but they cost several hundred dollars, and insurance does not cover the price in most cases.

It has Albertans like Smee deciding whether to pay out of pocket or wait months and months for care.

She says not everyone can afford to skip the line, and some patients are getting left even further behind in the queue for treatment or surgery.

“It’s extremely frustrating, and it feels like we’re no longer in publicly funded health care—that there’s very much a two-tiered system,” Smee said.

“And I believe that I’m in the majority, possibly, of Albertans who are not able to afford to pay for these expensive tests.”

More scans being performed: AHS

According to AHS, more than 255,000 MRIs and nearly 596,000 CT scans were performed last year—a jump of about 12.5 per cent compared to the previous year.

From April to the end of September this year, more than 134,000 MRI scans were publicly funded in Alberta.

Nearly 8,900 of those scans were outsourced to private operators—just under seven per cent of the total so far this year.

“We have to make sure that we don’t wind up in a situation where we’re just two different types of tiered care,” said Mark Holland, Canada’s minister of health.

“This has to get fixed, and we have to bring those times down. And I’m here to work with the province of Alberta to make that happen.”

Stephen Beggs lives in the Edmonton region and has been working with his doctor to properly diagnose and treat a sinus issue for more than three years.

He finally got a referral and an appointment, but it’s nine months away.

Instead of waiting and delaying his care, he’s decided to go to a private operator.

“The cost is $400 for me to get a CT scan, and I’m scheduled for Tuesday afternoon instead of waiting another nine months,” Beggs told CTV News.

“Not everybody has the spare money to go through private health care. It’s incredibly troubling.”

Alberta spends about a billion dollars every year on diagnostic imaging, which includes MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, X-rays and mammography.

Funding has increased recently, including $45 million over three years to outsource MRI treatments to private centres.

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