About

Open Bore Notes is an independent information site for people in the United States who are paying for an MRI, or part of one, out of their own pocket. It explains how MRI pricing works, what insurance, Medicare and Medicaid usually cover, how to ask for a Good Faith Estimate, and how to compare imaging providers by criteria that matter: total price, accreditation, scanner type, comfort and turnaround.

The guides are written for patients and family members, not clinicians. They cover costs, coverage rules, provider selection and the scan-day process, and they point to official sources such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Internal Revenue Service and the American College of Radiology for current details. Dollar amounts are labeled as illustrative examples unless a source is named.

We do not provide medical advice, diagnose conditions, rank named imaging companies or sell scans. Nothing here replaces the instructions of your doctor or the imaging center. If you are worried about symptoms, contact a clinician; in an emergency, call 911.

How this site is made

Open Bore Notes is an independent information project. Guides are drafted with the help of AI writing tools and checked against official and primary sources before publication; see our Editorial Policy. We are not affiliated with any provider mentioned on the site and do not sell products or services.