Be informed from the beginning.
Initio accepts credit or debit.
Instant financing available via PayBright.
Please note that pricing is in Canadian funds and is subject to change. We are also happy to provide additional information regarding payment options. Cancellation of an appointment with 24 hours notice or less, or failure to attend a scheduled appointment will result in a cancellation fee to cover the cost of the radiopharmaceutical and additional administrative services, if applicable.
To book a PET/CT or CT scan at INITIO you must be referred by a physician or nurse practitioner. Your physician must complete and submit a requisition to INITIO for approval by our Nuclear Medicine Specialist. Once received and approved, INITIO admin staff will contact you directly to book an appointment, obtain relevant medical history, and answer any questions.
If you have any concerns or special considerations for the scan appointment, we are happy to assist.
Initio will assist with spoken language interpreter services, at no cost, to help patients who do not have English as their first language and need additional language support for complete clarity throughout the scan process.
A form requesting a scan must be completed by a referring medical doctor ordering the procedure. If you have previous diagnostic imaging reports, you or your doctor must also give them to us. Once we receive the request form, our doctor reviews it to make sure that a scan is right for you. This takes 1-2 days.
With our doctor’s approval, our medical office assistant will contact you to explain how we do the scan and will ask you questions about your medical history, medications, etc. If we haven’t received previous diagnostic reports and images, we’ll ask for these, too. We may request some information of you many times during the entire process, as this information is important to providing you the best care. You will then be scheduled for an appointment, usually within a week, and we’ll walk you through the booking and scanning process.
In preparing for your scan, avoid strenuous exercise for 24 hours before your appointment. Please follow a high protein, low carbohydrate and low sugar diet the day before your scan.
NOTE:
For PSMA scans no special preparation is required. You can keep eating, drinking, and taking medications as prescribed.
You can take your medication if you do not take it with food. If any medications need to be stopped before the scan, you will be advised at the time of booking. For diabetic patients, please refer here for more information. You should drink 3-4 glasses of water before coming to your appointment.
During the scan, you must lie flat for 45 minutes. If you need medication to calm you during the procedure, please speak to your physician before your appointment day. We welcome friends and family members, but it is not possible for them to be in the private room or the scanning room due to radiation exposure. We do have a comfortable waiting area for them, which includes drinks, snacks, TV, other entertainment, and full wireless internet service. Guests may also leave and come back as they wish.
When you get to the clinic, you will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire. You will then be weighed so that we know how much fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG tracer, necessary for scanning) to inject into you. You will then be taken to a private room where your vital signs will be assessed, and IV access established. After your FDG injection, you will relax for about 1 hour, giving the FDG time to move through your body. It is important that you are not overly stimulated during this time, so reading, TV, and internet use is not possible. Excessive movement is also not recommended.
During your scan, you will lie on an imaging table that will slowly move you through the scanner while images are acquired. The scan will last approximately 30-45 minutes, it is important that you remain still. You will be given a warm blanket as the room is kept cool, to allow for optimal function of the camera. A radiologist and a registered nurse are on site for any contrast scans, to ensure the utmost safety during your scan.
After the scan is over, you will return to your private room to gather your belongings. There are a variety of snack and beverages in the reception area, you are encouraged to help yourself. Alternatively, you may bring your own food, or leave for lunch.
Once our nuclear medicine physician or radiologist have read your scan, we will send a copy of your report to your referring doctor and any other doctors requested. We will call you when the results have been sent to your doctor so that you can follow up with them. Please note the report can take up to 5 business days.
1.Refund prior to scan. All scans require a deposit of 50% of the total scan fee, at the time of booking. Half of the deposit is refundable if the cancellation request is made within 48 hours or more prior to the scan. The deposit is non-refundable in its entirety if a cancellation is made within 48 hours prior to the scan.
2.Refund after scan has been undertaken. After a scan has been performed, there will be no full refund. The costs of performing and interpreting the scan have been incurred by INITIO (including radio-tracer dose, facility, equipment, technical, and professional staff, and the fee for the professional interpretation of the scan). INITIO may consider requests for a partial refund on a case-by-case basis.
