New flat-rate medical-imaging center opens in Tacoma. Have a look inside
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- MultiCare teams with Tellica Imaging to open three Washington outpatient centers.
- Centers offer flat-rate MRI/CT pricing and can produce results within hour.
- Facilities relieve hospital backlogs by providing faster scans, turnaround times.
MultiCare on Thursday cut the ribbon on its newest imaging center in Tacoma, joining forces with a new partner.
In early October, the Tacoma-based not-for-profit health system announced a partnership with Tellica Imaging, a subsidiary of Intermountain Health, a Salt Lake City-based healthcare not-for-profit.
Tellica operates stand-alone outpatient imaging centers, offering flat-rate pricing for services such as MRIs and CT scans. The purpose is to help reduce the backlog of appointments at local hospitals for providers.
The partnership introduced three new sites to MultiCare patients in Tacoma (2941 S. 38th St., Suite E in Michael’s Plaza), Bremerton and Auburn, its first in Washington state.
The facilities opened in October of this year.
Tellica also operates imaging facilities in Utah, Idaho and New Hampshire.
The website lists rates for Tacoma of $500 for CT scans and $750 with MRIs, though costs might be lower with insurance or higher if prior authorization is required, according to the website.
Appointments at the new MultiCare Tellica centers include fellowship-trained radiologist interpretation, lab work and intravenous contrast as needed, according to the health system. Staff at the facilities are MultiCare employees.
“Given the high cost of health care for many patients, our goal is to create an affordable diagnostic imaging solution for our patients,” said Tim Lynch, senior vice president, chief administrative officer with MultiCare, in a statement. “Tellica Imaging provides a high-touch, easily accessible retail experience.”
At Thursday’s ribbon-cutting, Lynch added, “Anybody that knows the imaging industry right now understands how challenging it is for patients to actually get timely access to services, and we want to bring care into our communities where people live and work and have easy access.”
He noted that the three sites in Western Washington, since opening, had seen nearly 400 patients, with staff providing results from studies “within less than an hour” for patients and their providers.
“That’s unheard of,” he added.
Brad Isaacson, president and chief operating officer of Tellica Imaging, told The News Tribune during a brief tour of the site Thursday that the existing facility space allows the site to eventually add other services such as mammography, ultrasound and X-ray.
Patients are treated to heated blankets and music for their procedures to make the cold, impersonal technology less intimidating.
“The phenomenal part about this is we have our protocols dialed in so tightly,” said Isaacson, that for something like a shoulder injury, for example, “the time that it takes to get a scan is usually like five to 10 minutes. It’s very quick.”
Karen Leppert, assistant vice president of imaging for MultiCare, said the new centers will go a long way toward addressing area hospital imaging appointment backlogs.
“Our hospital systems have sometimes 30 to 50 to 60 days backlog” she told The News Tribune on Thursday. “So with the same-day access design we set up ... if we have a backlog at Auburn Hospital, a backlog at Tacoma (General), or any of other sites, they immediately have an order at the Tellica sites.
“So it’s set up to accommodate and to help manage that backlog,” she added.
More information about Tellica Imaging in Washington is available on its website.
This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
