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'U' To Get New $2M MRI Machine

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The University of Minnesota will receive a third magnetic resonance imaging machine to meet high demand and reduce wait times.

Minnesota Daily reports that the Board of Regents approved the $2 million MRI machine this month. Construction will begin this summer and the machine will be operational in December.

Patients currently may have to wait up to three weeks to get an MRI at the university's Clinics and Surgery Center. The center recently began administering MRIs on the weekends and extending hours to keep up with demand.

Charles Dietz is the chair of the University's Department of Radiology. He says the University of Minnesota Health has seen a 10 percent increase in MRI demands across the system annually. The system performs about 20,000 MRI scans annually.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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