August 13, 2014 — ECRI Institute’s SELECTplus User Experience Network recently polled hundreds of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) system users on a variety of criteria, including image quality, coil selection and setup, ease of use, patient throughput and vendor support. The survey results include function, feature and service ratings for each model, grouped by vendor to show how each vendor’s product line fares in each category.
As hospitals shop for MRI systems, questions that come to mind include: “What’s the average quoted price for the top MRI systems on the market?” “Which systems offer the best image quality?” “Have hospitals reported magnet-related safety incidence in the last twelve months?” “Is a 3.0 T or 1.5T appropriate for my facility?”
“Hospital leaders and technology purchasers need all the supporting data and market insight they can get to make informed buying decisions, with a keen focus on safety and quality,” said Jennifer L. Myers, ECRI Institute’s vice president of SELECT Health Technology Services. “We rely on our partner healthcare organizations’ end-user experience as one of the many tools hospitals can use to help make cost-effective purchasing decisions.”
The user data reveal that among ECRI Institute members, four vendors dominate the market: GE, Philips, Siemens and Toshiba. In addition to the survey results, the released data includes average quoted pricing, feature-by-feature comparisons, member interest (market share) and other market analytics derived from ECRI Institute’s research and expert analyses. Average quoted pricing for some of the most popular systems show that MRI costs range from $2 million to $2.5 million for 3.0T models; 1.5T models typically cost between $1.3 million and $1.6 million.
The SELECTplus User Experience Network is part of a comprehensive decision support resource for medical technology purchasers with user satisfaction rankings and other key purchasing information, including market analytics from ECRI Institute’s analysts and technology management experts. The resource is a member benefit of ECRI Institute’s SELECTplus capital technology advisory service, used by more than 3,500 member facilities from healthcare organizations worldwide.
An excerpt from the survey report is available for free download. The full report is available to ECRI Institute members on the member website.
For more information: www.ecri.org
March 09, 2026 
