CLINICAL AND ECONOMIC OUTCOMES OF WHOLE-BODY MRI SCREENING: A US EMPLOYER PERSPECTIVE
Author(s)
Alex Exuzides, PhD, MD1, Cameron Fowler, MA2, Yan Song, PhD3, Yipeng Gao, PhD3, Madhurima Datta, PhD4, Pratik Shingru, MD, MPH5, Yosef Chodakiewitz, MD6.
1Prenuvo, Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA, 2Analysis Group, Hermosa Beach, CA, USA, 3Analysis Group Inc., Boston, MA, USA, 4Prenuvo Inc, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 5Prenuvo Inc, Boston, MA, USA, 6Prenuvo Inc, Redwood City, CA, USA.
1Prenuvo, Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA, 2Analysis Group, Hermosa Beach, CA, USA, 3Analysis Group Inc., Boston, MA, USA, 4Prenuvo Inc, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 5Prenuvo Inc, Boston, MA, USA, 6Prenuvo Inc, Redwood City, CA, USA.
OBJECTIVES: Chronic diseases impose substantial clinical and economic burdens in United States, yet traditional screening remains fragmented and organ-specific. This study estimated health outcomes and return on investment (ROI) of adding whole-body MRI (WB-MRI) to usual-care screening from a US employer perspective over a 10-year time horizon, using 14 solid tumor types and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) as key imaging-detectable conditions.
METHODS: A hybrid cohort-level simulation model compared WB-MRI plus usual care with usual care alone. The model combined a pre-diagnosis state-transition component with a post-diagnosis decision tree. WB-MRI improved outcomes by shifting diagnosis to earlier stages, with health-outcomes and costs determined by stage at diagnosis. ROI was calculated as net savings (direct and indirect costs) divided by incremental investment (screening and diagnostic workup). Subgroup and one-way sensitivity analyses examined high-risk populations and impact of key parameters.
RESULTS: For a hypothetical 100,000-person employer, a one-time WB-MRI scan among employees aged ≥50 reduced late-stage diagnoses (Stage III/IV cancer or cirrhotic MASLD) by 222 cases (25%). Earlier diagnosis resulted in an additional 840 life-years, a 90.0% ROI, and an incremental cost per late-stage diagnosis avoided of $24,346. ROI increased to 121.9% among employees aged ≥50 with obesity and smoking history, while in the overall population, ROI was 41.2%. Increasing screening frequency to every 3 years among employees aged ≥50 reduced ROI to 39.6% but nearly doubled late-stage diagnoses avoided (222 to 423).
CONCLUSIONS: From a US employer perspective, adding WB-MRI to usual-care screening was estimated to be a cost-effective strategy that improves health outcomes by shifting disease diagnoses to earlier, more treatable stages. The economic value is particularly compelling in high-risk subpopulations defined by common risk factors. Future research should evaluate additional imaging-detectable conditions and complementary blood-based biomarkers to further enhance diagnostic yield.
METHODS: A hybrid cohort-level simulation model compared WB-MRI plus usual care with usual care alone. The model combined a pre-diagnosis state-transition component with a post-diagnosis decision tree. WB-MRI improved outcomes by shifting diagnosis to earlier stages, with health-outcomes and costs determined by stage at diagnosis. ROI was calculated as net savings (direct and indirect costs) divided by incremental investment (screening and diagnostic workup). Subgroup and one-way sensitivity analyses examined high-risk populations and impact of key parameters.
RESULTS: For a hypothetical 100,000-person employer, a one-time WB-MRI scan among employees aged ≥50 reduced late-stage diagnoses (Stage III/IV cancer or cirrhotic MASLD) by 222 cases (25%). Earlier diagnosis resulted in an additional 840 life-years, a 90.0% ROI, and an incremental cost per late-stage diagnosis avoided of $24,346. ROI increased to 121.9% among employees aged ≥50 with obesity and smoking history, while in the overall population, ROI was 41.2%. Increasing screening frequency to every 3 years among employees aged ≥50 reduced ROI to 39.6% but nearly doubled late-stage diagnoses avoided (222 to 423).
CONCLUSIONS: From a US employer perspective, adding WB-MRI to usual-care screening was estimated to be a cost-effective strategy that improves health outcomes by shifting disease diagnoses to earlier, more treatable stages. The economic value is particularly compelling in high-risk subpopulations defined by common risk factors. Future research should evaluate additional imaging-detectable conditions and complementary blood-based biomarkers to further enhance diagnostic yield.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EE708
Topic
Clinical Outcomes, Economic Evaluation, Medical Technologies
Disease
Personalized & Precision Medicine