ECMC Adds Second MRI Scanner in $4.2M Project
Buffalo patients facing long outpatient MRI waits could see faster appointments once the new suite opens around late 2027 or early 2028.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Home Renovation
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Erie County Medical Center plans a $4.2 million project to create a new MRI suite on the first floor of its existing radiology department. The suite will add a second MRI scanner to the hospital, which currently has only one.
Why it matters
Only one MRI scanner currently serves inpatient, outpatient and emergency departments, and outpatient MRI waits run close to three weeks. Emergency MRI needs can force rescheduling of already-booked outpatient appointments, so a second scanner is meant to shorten those waits and speed diagnoses for Buffalo patients.
The planned MRI suite spans 2,150 square feet and carries a $4.2 million price tag, and it will house a 1.5T Siemens MAGNETOM Flow.Neo helium-free scanner alongside the existing 3 Tesla unit that stays in service. ECMC performed 5,567 MRI exams in 2025 on its current setup.
The players
Erie County Medical Center (ECMC)
A Buffalo hospital whose trauma and emergency department opened in mid-2020 and whose Breast Health Center opened last year.
Andrew Davis
The incoming president and CEO of Erie County Medical Center, effective June 15.
The details
The project renovates an existing first-floor space inside the radiology department to create the suite, which will include a next-generation MRI system approved earlier this year. ECMC expects to bid the project out in early 2027, with construction following in spring and summer. The 3 Tesla scanner remains in service, so the new unit adds capacity rather than replacing equipment. Hospital officials say the added scanner will let ECMC scan emergency and inpatient patients much more quickly.
Timeline
2025: ECMC performed 5,567 MRI exams on its single scanner.
March 16: ECMC's board voted unanimously to appoint Andrew Davis as president and CEO.
June 15: Andrew Davis takes over as CEO.
Early 2027: The MRI project is expected to be bid out.
Late 2027 or early 2028: The new MRI suite is expected to open.
The Home Front
Buffalo homeowners and renters feel the effects of local hospital capacity when a single scanner backs up outpatient care for weeks. Expansion projects like this one, sized at $4.2 million and 2,150 square feet, show how major healthcare renovations reshape neighborhood access.
If you or a family member are waiting on an outpatient MRI, ask your provider whether a scheduling option or a different facility could shorten the wait while the new suite is built. Keep your own imaging records and referral paperwork organized so rescheduling is easier if an emergency pushes an appointment back.
The takeaway
A second MRI scanner at ECMC is designed to cut long outpatient waits and speed care for emergency and inpatient patients. If you have an MRI referral, ask the scheduling office about current wait times and whether any cancellation list is available.
What happens next
ECMC expects the MRI suite project to be bid out in early 2027, with construction to follow in spring and summer, and the suite is projected to open by late 2027 or early 2028.
Further reading
For more on the building work behind projects like this, see Home Renovation coverage for Buffalo.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Buffalo News.
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