MRI has advantages compared to other radiologic modalities in terms of tissue visualization, versatility, and lack of risks associated with ionizing radiation. However, cost of MRI is often the limiting factor favoring other modalities. Using historical scanner data and a Monte Carlo type discrete event simulation, we investigated how estimating exam length on the basis of patient demographics and dynamic block lengths affect mean patient wait times and schedule fill rate. In our simulation we are able to significantly lower mean patient wait times and optimize the schedule fill rate, which would theoretically result in lower cost per exam while enhancing patient satisfaction.
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