My right side was numb all the way down to my index finger. Not good. After finally seeing Dr. Zwehlen, an MRI for the cervical spine area was prescribed thinking a pinched nerve. I thought it might be associated with a previous and ongoing shoulder injury. So was told by the good doctor it would probably take 2 or more weeks to get in. I got in in 4 days on Easter Sunday no less. Yes, MRI appointment on Easter. I took it. I noticed one of my images on the screen on my way out and upon looking at it real quick I noticed my left side is the side jacked up with potential pinched nerves. Not my right. A few days later a massive rash appeared on my arm and I was diagnosed with shingles that attacked the nerve. Not jacked up shoulder. Not a pinched nerve. But shingles. So appointment scheduling was great. Wait time once there was quick. MRI took as long as necessary. Staff was nice. There were no wheel chairs or other metallic stuff to join me in the MRI tube so that was nice. Waited about 10 minutes for a DVD of the results and out of there. Parking was close. read more

Two hours of waiting for a callback to schedule an MRI. There are no excuses for this. You would be equally annoyed if you had to go through this. Implement web based scheduling, hire more people, or figure out a way to help existing staff move more quickly through the queue. I have scheduled here before. It is not that complicated. Driving over there is the only workable alternative. Seriously office manager - solve this or find someone who will! So I finally got the call back about 10 minutes after posting this. Very nice agent and the entire scheduling process took two or three minutes. She said the queue was 100 deep. Pretty strong argument for hiring more people. read more

As of July 2025 Please be respectful of your surrounding, read the signs and follow the staff's instructions Parking is spacious enough, security in front for safety and guidance Inside is clean spacious organized and well lit Clear and large signs of where things are and what you need to do Staffs were nice helpful and friendly I happened to be there when 3 interceptors for 3 different languages are all there to help, so very resourceful and helpful Good quality of care Went for MRI, short wait and finished within the hour (had to wait 15 mins for the CD) Thank you for taking care of my family member read more

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I have requested a call back two days in a row 5/28 and 5/29 and have not received a call back. I even said screw it let me just be on hold because they don't even call u back'!!! Hold for over 2 hrs, then it ends the call automatically bc of lunch hours... MY DAD LIKELY HAS CANCER, THIS IS URGENT SO RIDICULOUS DO BETTER read more

TLDR: I don't trust a company to maintain, run, and interpret complex medical equipment when they are unable to competently answer telephones and make appointments. I tried a small handful of times to make an appointment here. Every time had extremely long wait times, 1 hour, 1+ hours, 45 minutes, etc. Of the times I waited, I only got one callback. That call got disconnected. They, amusingly and expectedly, didn't call back. I was about to call yet another time when it occurred to me, "what the heck am I doing?". I get that we are generally pretty inured to horrible, horrible customer service and have quite low expectations. But I'm expecting this company to run complex imaging equipment, to maintain this equipment and then to interpret the results accurately. They appear to be unable to answer a phone. This is a test that hopefully will not, but could very literally be a matter of life and death, although to be fair, not their deaths. And they can't answer phones and make appointments competently. No thanks. read more

Scheduling with this lab is horrible. After 140+ minutes on hold over three calls to schedule for July 3rd, they close the office that day for the July 4th weekend and I have to reschedule. Though they've called several times, I'm traveling in Europe so the timing is off and it's way hard to devote the 60+ minutes I expect to be in hold to reschedule. When I have gotten through, the staff has been very good to work with. read more

I spent half an hour on hold trying to schedule an MRI, only to get kicked off of the line after thirty minutes of waiting. The amount of time they make you wait to schedule an appointment is extremely inconsiderate and disrespectful. I then called again and used their callback system but still I had to wait nearly two hours before someone returned my call and by that point I was back at work. Who has time to make a call and then just sit around for two hours to be able to answer the phone at any moment? It's also annoying that you have to sit on hold for several minutes before you're even given the option of leaving a callback number. These people make something that should be so simple an agonizing pain for anyone who calls, which shows how much they care about being respectful to people. Use any other service if you can. read more

I have tried calling this place multiple times a day. No one answers, it goes to voicemail, and no one has returned any of my voice messages. Had an office in SF try calling them too; same experience. Trying to follow doctor's orders here, have a pretty urgent medical need, and nothing. Left for dead. Very fitting for an American medical provider/facility. read more

I really don't understand why the people scheduling appointments feel the need to be so incredibly rude. I've had two MRIs at this location and I swear just trying to speak with someone is more difficult than the procedure itself. This woman has been disorganized, given me incorrect information, and so incredibly condescending. Please utilize this feedback, I can't even begin to imagine how she speaks to others. read more

I agree with an earlier review that their billing practices are, if not predatory, then massively incompetent. I did actually get a bill, and I set up a payment plan with autopay. Around the time the plan should have ended, I got a letter from their debt collector. I immediately called Magnetic Imaging Affiliates to try to figure out what happened. Their billing rep said that I hadn't made a payment in 3 months. I immediately tried to pay the balance over the phone, but they would not accept payment. I have never had a medical company refuse payment before after sending a bill to collections. As for why the payment plan stopped? Turned out it was because my card had expired 3 months before the end of the plan. Sounds like a me problem, right? Wrong. And here's why. Did they tell me they were going to send the bill to collections? No. Did they tell me that a payment hadn't gone through? No. Did they warn me that the card on file was going to expire? No. Did they send me bills where the balance was the same? No. Did they send me bills at all? Only the first one. Couldn't I have monitored my statements to see that the balance wasn't changing? No, because they hadn't generated a new statement for my account for *six months* prior to the card expiring. They still haven't generated a new one even though I used their services again over a month ago, right before they sent the original balance to collections. All I can see on their billing page is a current balance and the single most recent payment on a payment plan, and that only if I go into the history. Everything else I had to figure out on my own. At the office did they say "hey you've got a balance, looks like you haven't made your payment plan payments in a few months"? No. (And did they tell me how much my bill for the new service was going to be? Also no, but I suppose that's hardly unusual for the medical system we're in) At best this is massive incompetence at all levels of their billing system. I'm not saying they are intentionally trying to send business to their debt collector, but it's hard to imagine how, if they were, the system would be any different. read more

Drove here from the Sacramento area because I needed a next day MRI for a drug trial that I had to qualify for and there were no machines available within the time I had to have it in the Sacramento area. The Sutter facility had a dedicated parking area with a security person. Staff was quick and efficient. read more

Horrible customer service, I been calling all day today and no one is answering. Avoid this place! read more

Magnetic Imaging Affiliates - Called 10x within 3 hours and still no answers - Diagnostic Imaging Near Me - Oakland, California

Hard to understand all the negative reviews. From scheduling, to my appointment, everyone was extremely helpful and kind. I had issues with pre-approval needed from my insurance, and staff here were able to solve the problem for me and get me scheduled soon afterward. The office staff was so nice at my appointment and the MRI tech talked to me the whole time and made my nerves and claustrophobia manageable. I guess I'll wait and see about billing to see if my opinion changes, but my experience so far was easy and stress-free. read more

They scanned my broken chicken foot at 6am. Appointment hours are early morning or late night only.

Predatory billing practices and not upfront about patient coinsurance and then send only one physical bill and when you're trying to figure out whether it's a bill you've already paid, they send to collections without further notification! read more

I am having trouble walking. My doctor suggested a MRI so that he diagnose the problem. I had an appointment with NorCal but that is almost a month. He changed the request to Magnetic Imaging Affiliates. They stated off friendly and helpful but it has been a nightmare trying to get an appointment. My insurance confirmed that they received the authorisation but I still haven't heard back from them. I hope they are friendlier in person read more

They sent me a $3,000 bill for an MRI that cost(s)s $500 at other locations in the SF Bay Area. There was no indication that they'd charge such an absurd amount of money. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE OR YOU'LL BE STUCK WITH AN INSANE BILL. read more

This is a Sutter Health affiliate and it saddens me to say that the decline of service at Sutter Health continues. Three weeks ago Sutter told us we we not insured (wrong - we've had the same insurance for 24 years and Sutter is now sending us a refund because we opted to self-pay for an exam). This week we're trying to get a follow-up MRI scheduled for my spouse. He had a regular MRI 2 days ago and his physician needs a follow-up with contrast. As usual in this post-COVID world, it takes Sutter more than a week to get insurance authorization, even though an MRI was authorized 2 days ago. Because of this inexplicable delay he called to ask about self-pay options. That allowed him to get an appointment 9 days from now, but if he accepts the appointment Sutter will stop seeking insurance authorization. Say what?? The scheduling staff explained that it's because he would be "jumping the line" over people waiting for their insurance to approve. We asked if Sutter has 2 lines, one for people with insurance and one for people without? The call agent said there are people with brain tumors waiting and we have to wait in line if we want to use our insurance, like everyone else. Otherwise we can get an appointment next weekend. Hmm. Wrong on so many levels - primarily: if there's someone with a brain tumor I hope to god you're letting them cut the line!! Health care billing is incredibly complicated and I know it is is equally frustrating for patients and providers. But I've not had issues like these anywhere except Sutter. As longtime Sutter patients it's heart-breaking to say this, but we're switching during open enrollment to a truly integrated health care network. read more

If you are actually able to reach them by phone, they are competent imaging service. I have been there multiple times and multiple times I have gone through a tremendous amount of effort to schedule an appointment. I will ask my phsicians to send me elsewhere in the future. read more

Colette and Thelma helped make my MRII experience here today a 5-star one. For folks slightly claustrophobic, they offer an eye mask or face cloth to help keep you calm and relaxed. Plus, they tuck you in nicely and keep talking to you through the process. They were helpful to ask whether I was wearing any Athleta or Lululemon clothing because those tend to have metallic threads in the material - which heat up in the MRI. While here, I also saw them helping another patient try to remove some piercing/jewelry - which you cannot have/wear into the MRI machine. This place seems to be well-run. Easy parking, check-in is quick, and I was done 20 min after my appointment time. read more

Terrible experience about scheduleing. I have got the pre-authorization from the clinic (the one placed order for the MRI test) with the location of Magnetic Imaging Affiliates (quite sure about it, as we changed the location once which needs another pre-authorization). I checked with my insurance part as well, they have granted the pre-authorization for the MRI request. And when we sent the order to Magnetic Imaging Affiliates, the officer insisted they need their pre-authorization. But when I asked what the pre-authorization was for, it's the same purpose. And the reason they need the pre-authorization is because they saw in the order, it mentioned "do not need pre-authorization"... if I understand English correctly, it means they don't need to do another pre-authorization? They claimed they will only take 2-5 days for pre-authorization, but I saw a much longer time from other comments. I can only hope they can fullfill their timeline promise this time... read more

I had a Lumbar MRI done at Magnetic Imaging Affiliates in Oakland Calif today. I had a fantastic experience. The staff are professional, friendly, kind and accommodating. They took into account my claustrophobia in the MRI machine and talked to me at certain points, which I found calming. From start to finish they helped me through it with grace and ease. I'm so happy I chose them for this. read more

I had an 8:45 appointment at this facility. And I got there 50 minutes before. Parking was free and great, not many cars in the lot. I was greeted by a male clerk there. Who give me some papers? Took 10 minutes to fill out and get ready. And I was taken in early. Both the Tech and the clerk were very helpful. The exam took about 20 minutesome people may be Closter phobic but I fell asleep in the machine with earplugs and ear covers and a nice warm blanket. All I could say is it was a good experience. The staff was great. read more

Once I had my appointment, it was a flawless experience. Staff on-site were polite, helpful, and seemed to care. Why not a 5-star? Getting an appointment was 2-star at best. Called multiple times over multiple days, left messages, and never got a call back. Was close to giving up/switching providers. read more

My physician referred me to this center for MRI and apparently my condition isn't good enough to be seen at a decent hour. I was offered 530am or a time before 730am told that I could come after 5pm during the week. I was told normal business hours are for patients that require a physician to attend. This makes no sense. People have lives, kids, I imagine old people don't need a doctor all the time and they're supposed to come at 10pm?! What kind of business practice is this? Is my issue not as important as others. What do you want me to do as a singles parent with my child at 530 am? I called northern cal down the street and they scheduled me at a DECENT hour. What is this discrimination? read more

It can't be easy running a business during Covid. Regardless, the techs I had were unfriendly and not informative. Nobody goes to get an MRI because they feel good and I felt really terrible. They didn't explain the process to me. I was cold, in a lot of pain but worst of all the imaging was not of high quality and didn't give me clear enough images for diagnostics as complete as are possible had the image quality been better. It could've been I moved. In which case one would hope they would tell me "hey, we're gonna have to redo that because you moved" but nope. Maybe they didn't do a good job or their machines weren't precise. I dunno but it would've been swell to have quality images for my health care providers to review. I need to get another MRI so I was reading other peoples' experiences to see if I just caught the techs on a bad day or just one set of cranky techs. It looks like this place is generally kind of spotty. If people have suggestions for MRIs that are super high-quality please DM me. read more

Worst place ever. A month with a referral from my doctor and I'm still waiting to be seen.

I recently got an MRI here, and had a great experience. I normally feel very anxious and claustrophobic, but the staff put me in a machine that was more forgiving on space. Also, they were super kind and put me to ease before the procedure by asking me what I needed to feel comfortable - as well as during, where the tech running the machine would tell me what was happening during the scan, and gave me the count on time so that I would be less stressed and not feel alone / like it was an endless procedure - went by so fast! I can't thank them enough for what they did for me. read more

Kudos to the scheduling team, the technician who checked me in and performed the scans, and the radiologist who provided the result summary. What a great MIA team and please continue to give the rockstar experience to your patients. It makes a huge difference especially when a patient like me require these results for a proper diagnosis from my doc. Thank you MIA Team, truly exceptional experience! read more

I never leave negative reviews, but given the circumstances, I hope I will prevent others from having the same experience I did. I would AVOID this facility at all costs. They aren't helpful, don't follow through as they promised, and have extremely poor customer service. My Doctor submitted a stat (urgent) order for an MRI. Magnetic Imaging Affiliates did not submit the order to my insurance company as urgent, so it got stuck in the queue. This was nine days ago, and they still haven't replied to me despite multiple phone calls. In the meantime, I found out that the test didn't even need authorization, so they lied to me and wasted my time. This is completely unacceptable given the urgency of the request from my Doctor. Yesterday I contacted a different facility, Sutter Imaging Vallejo, and the staff was kind, extremely helpful, and got me booked immediately for the test tomorrow. Magnetic Imaging Affiliates does not care about patients and does not provide quality service. AVOID them and look elsewhere. UPDATE: The business owner did write to me and blamed her staff's incompetence on my Doctor! She said my request wasn't marked stat when I can see on the order that it was, which her staff also confirmed multiple times. She also said that the order from my Doctor was approved by my insurance, yet I still never received a call from her staff to schedule the test. So, instead of taking responsibility, the business owner reiterated the lie she stated below, as they did NOT "quickly manage my order." The tests this facility administers help inform life and death decisions for patients like myself who have a serious health issue, are scared and need compassionate help. If this is how they handle a simple scheduling request, I shudder to think how they handle an actual test or procedure. The staff at Magnetic Imaging Affiliates clearly does not understand or care that their lack of diligence and compassion can cost people their lives. I absolutely standby my original review and advise you to AVOID this facility. As the patient, you do not have to go wherever your Doctor sends you. Exercise your right as a consumer to choose high-quality care at quality facilities that actually want to help you. Magnetic Imaging Affiliates isn't one of them. Take your health concern and your business elsewhere. read more

Haven't had an MRI done here yet, but am compelled to write a review after spending several weeks on and off looking for an imaging facility that is capable to do MRIs for patients with pacemakers. This one does! One needs to have a pacemaker that is MRI-compatible, and you as a patient may want to know this for your own peace of mind, although this facility confirms this for you as a part of processing your MRI order. And, they need a technician trained to do an MRI for a patient with a pacemaker (I think this process/procedure is called SureScan). Anyhow, if you have a pacemaker and need an MRI done, this facility is able to do that, at least as of the time of this review, Dec. 2021. read more

Excellent staff. Excellent Doctor's. Excellent turn around time. Clean facility. Appointments are relatively easy to get. Schedules run pretty close to time. They do CT scans, MRI's, PET Scans, Bone density, Ultrasounds and I am sure many other things. They are part of Sutter health. Free parking on premises. Highly recommend. read more

My primary care physician doesn't take concussions lightly, thus she sent in an order for me, just in case : ) I made an appointment easily, and upon arriving in the waiting room, I was *immediately* called in after completing my paperwork. They have lockers to store your personal items, as well as changing stalls. Staff was professional and proficient, including the receptionist. There is a large parking lot with a security guard who greets patients and chats with staff. read more

I had an extensive scan done here and everyone from the receptionists to the tech analysts and support staff did an efficient and first-rate job. read more

Here is my review of this location. Technician awesome and staff great! My only disappointment is in the reading of my scans. I had to pay 302.00 out of pocket for them to read my scans. They charged my insurance 2128.00 100.00 for the iodine? They got paid 476.82 Let me tell you about my abdomen scan very minimal with very little information about what's going on! I am very disappointed in the Doctor that is charged me for these scans with very little information. read more

Day light robbery - $2000 for a toe scan. This is why healthcare system in America is a disaster. Please avoid this place. There are other places that charge a fraction of what they charge. Even with the best insurance you will get slapped with $100s of dollars out of pocket. And they don't review or give you any details. read more

Dumped at the last minute, because of "emergencies." Alta Bates Hospital, inexplicably, has no MRI so outpatient tests at this place can be canceled, as mine was, for hospital patients. It took a lot of trouble to set up the appointment and plans for someone to drive me, so I was very upset! But!-- this turns out to be a boon in disguise, because I looked into Muir facilities and found out that Walnut Creek has 4 MRI's and Concord 2, so slots can be reserved for outpatients with almost no chance of cancelation. And, on top of that, they have the newest machines with 4" more space and one foot less length! And of top of THAT, the woman I talked to--Shasta--was extremely friendly and efficient, in contrast to the laconic voice at MIA. So, if you have the option of choosing your own facility, head for Muir, not MIA! read more

I've been here several times for an MRI, and have had great experiences with Aurora, the MRI tech taking care of me. She is professional and kind, and went out of her way to make me comfortable. I've had good experiences with the other staff as well, and my appointments have always been conducted in a timely way, no long waits. read more

This business is deceitful and irresponsible. I had an MRI done here a few months ago. I asked over the phone if they took my insurance and they told me they did. The MRI itself went okay. Aside from having to wait about 90 minutes for my turn even though I had an appointment. About two months after my visit, I received a bill for $3500. Long story short, they did not have a contract with my insurance company, and charged me the full amount. When I said they told me that they took our insurance, they said "Well, we take it but nothing is covered under it." What? Upon further inspection, I learned that the neighborhood rate for and MRI with them is $980. They refused to give me that rate and would offer no explanation as to why. It took my wife and I some time to make an appeal to our insurance company and then to figure out how to pay such a large bill. Yesterday they offered to put us on a payment plan. My wife said she'd respond today with how much we could afford on each payment. When she called this morning, they told her it had been sent to collections and the only way we could get it back from collections (and off our credit record) was to pay the full amount immediately. I feel pretty powerless and am, admittedly, pretty angry with them. If you have any other options for this kind of service, I suggest you go elsewhere. If you must use them, make sure that your insurance is in-network and get it in writing. read more

I was able to schedule an MRI the day after I phoned for an appointment, so I appreciated that. The reason that I am not giving them five stars is my neurologist's request for the MRI specified a 3T scan. (The other kind, a 1.5T scan, is cheaper, has lower resolution, and requires more time in the tube.) Just before the technician was about to put me in the tube, I asked if it was a 3T MRI. She said it was 1.5T. I told her that my neurologist had specified a 3T scan. The technician called in a doctor, who confirmed that I was being put in the wrong MRI scanner. The doctor apologized, which was nice, but I had to wait 45 minutes before a 3T scanner was available. A medical facility like an MRI center should be more careful and attentive to detail than this. read more