SimonMed Imaging, a network running more than 170 imaging centers across ten U.S. states, has launched a slate of artificial intelligence add-on services in May 2026 that are billed separately from the underlying exam. The price tags range from $50 to $80 per added analysis, and the modules turn already-scheduled CTs and MRIs into extra sources of clinical information — a strategy of “monetized opportunistic radiology” that reopens the debate over what belongs in the base exam and what can be packaged as an upgrade.
The SimonMed AI menu
The first module is Calcium Score+, billed at $50, which uses AI to extend the traditional coronary calcium score on patients already receiving a chest CT. The algorithm quantifies plaque, classifies distribution and generates a guided report with next-step suggestions. The second is CT Bone Density, also $50, which opportunistically estimates bone mineral density from CTs that include the spine — with no dedicated DEXA scan required. Both modules can be bundled for $80.
The third launch is MR Lumbar Spine+, also $50, which applies FDA-cleared AI to lumbar spine MRIs to quantify degenerative changes, grade severity and produce annotated visualizations. The fourth offering — Personalized Breast Cancer Detection — has been live since 2024 and adds $40 per AI-assisted mammography read. The common thread is the same: SimonMed chose to push the AI value-add straight to the patient rather than absorb it into the base ticket.
Why this is controversial
The “AI add-on” model challenges how payers think about artificial intelligence in imaging. In the U.S., Medicare has so far reimbursed only a handful of AI-specific CPT codes — most are still under discussion at NCCI and regional waivers. For patients, the SimonMed model functions as an upsell: the physician-ordered CT runs at standard price, but the radiologist offers extra analyses that expand the clinical value of the same scan. CEO John Simon frames the offer as “a shift from reactive to preventive” care. Critics argue this creates inequality inside the same exam — better-informed or premium-plan patients walk out with more clinical information from the very same CT scanner.
The opportunistic imaging context
Technically, what SimonMed sells isn’t new. The academic literature has talked about opportunistic imaging for more than five years: leveraging CT and MRI ordered for other reasons to extract cardiovascular, skeletal, hepatic, muscular and even cognitive information. Recent studies confirm that whole-body MRI body-composition analysis with AI can flag disease years before clinical symptoms, and that opportunistic coronary calcium scores correlate with cardiovascular mortality. SimonMed is simply the first large network to put a price tag on that concept.
It is worth noting that most algorithms used by SimonMed have stand-alone regulatory clearance (mostly FDA 510(k)). Calcium Score+ relies on engines like those from Aidoc, Coreline Soft and Cleerly — vendors that have been raising heavy capital, such as Aidoc’s $150 million round with Goldman Sachs and Nvidia. The ecosystem, then, is already mature enough for networks to integrate multiple vendors into a unified platform — although SimonMed has not disclosed which algorithms power each module.
Implications for international markets
Outside the U.S., regulatory and reimbursement models complicate replication. In Brazil, ANS-regulated private plans follow a procedure list that does not allow “a la carte” AI charges, which effectively closes the SimonMed model in supplementary healthcare. Diagnostic clinics serving direct-pay or corporate check-up customers, however, already adopt a similar logic — “cardiometabolic” or “longevity” packages embed opportunistic analyses in the price. The SimonMed difference is granularity: there, the patient gets a module-by-module menu.
For clinic directors abroad, the U.S. case is a pricing-strategy alert. Networks growing teleradiology on RamSoft PACS have explored a similar model for bone density and vascular calcifications inside automated reports. The choice between “baked into the exam price” and “offered as an upgrade” has direct impact on brand positioning and patient perception of value.
What’s next
SimonMed also operates an elective service called SimonMed Longevity, with whole-body MRI outside traditional medical indications — territory where companies like Prenuvo and Ezra already play. The combination of longevity scans with AI modules creates an attractive commercial product for the high-income segment, but raises concerns from the American College of Radiology about incidental findings and overuse. For hospitals considering similar products, the next months are worth watching as SimonMed defends, publicly, the real clinical value delivered to patients.
The SimonMed move, in short, confirms that radiology AI has stepped out of pure investment and into direct monetization. The open question is whether U.S. and international payers accept the model long term or whether standard coverage will eventually absorb these modules as embedded benefits.
Source: Radiology Business — SimonMed Imaging launches new add-on AI services (May 7, 2026)
