How to Book an Ultrasound in Vancouver: MSP, Private-Pay and 3D/4D

How you book an ultrasound in Metro Vancouver depends on which of three kinds of clinic you are going to. The 78 active listings on this site fall into these groups:

	MSP-billing	Private-pay	Keepsake studio
Listings on this site	55	17	6
Who pays	MSP, for eligible exams	You	You
Doctor’s requisition	Required	Depends on the clinic	Not needed
Medical report	Yes	Yes	No
Typical cost to you	$0	$325 to $900	$50 to $380

This guide walks through each route step by step, then covers what to bring and how to prepare.

Route 1: with a requisition, paid by MSP

This is how most people in BC get an ultrasound. It covers community imaging clinics and hospital departments.

Step 1. Get a requisition

A doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife fills in a requisition saying which exam you need and why. Without one, an MSP-billing clinic cannot book you. If you have no family doctor, see Do you need a referral for ultrasound in BC? for ways to get one.

Step 2. Get the requisition to the clinic

Either you bring it, or your doctor’s office faxes it. For some exams the clinic wants it from the doctor directly: Brooke Radiology and MedRay Imaging both say the doctor must fax the requisition for a breast ultrasound before they will book it.

Step 3. Book the appointment

Clinics do this differently. Check the clinic’s page on this site before you call.

How	Clinics that offer it
Phone	Every clinic. Brooke Radiology and Valley Medical Imaging book ultrasound by phone only.
Online booking	West Coast Medical Imaging (self-booking for most ultrasounds), MedRay Imaging (including the former Greig Associates clinic on Victoria Drive), North Shore Medical Imaging
Online request form	Downtown Radiology. The form is a request; the appointment is not confirmed until the clinic replies.
Clinic calls you	Some clinics schedule after they receive the requisition from your doctor.

Not every exam can be booked online. North Shore Medical Imaging, for example, takes obstetric, nuchal translucency and breast exams by request only.

Step 4. Check the clinic’s limits

A few clinics publish limits that are worth knowing before you travel:

Downtown Radiology scans patients aged 12 and over, has a 250 lb weight limit, and does not perform DVT or vascular Doppler studies.
The former Greig Associates clinic (now MedRay Vancouver) does detailed obstetric scans only if the dating scan was done there.
Vascular Doppler studies are paid by MSP only at hospitals. See Doppler ultrasound: why MSP pays only in hospitals.

Step 5. Go to the appointment

Bring your BC Services Card and the requisition. West Coast Medical Imaging asks patients to arrive 15 minutes early for check-in. If you cannot come, cancel early: Downtown Radiology lists an $80 late-cancellation fee and West Coast Medical Imaging says a $75 no-show fee may be billed. MSP does not pay those.

Hospitals

Hospital ultrasound departments also need a physician referral. Some keep long hours: Burnaby Hospital’s ultrasound service lists weekdays 7:30 am to 4:30 pm and weekends 8 am to 4 pm.

Evening and weekend MSP clinics

Clinic	Published ultrasound hours
MedRay Vancouver (formerly Greig Associates), Victoria Drive	Weekdays 7:30 am to 9 pm; Saturday to 5 pm
MedRay Imaging, Coquitlam	Tuesday to Thursday to 8:30 pm; Saturday morning
North Shore Medical Imaging, North Vancouver	Tuesday to Thursday to 8:30 pm; Saturday morning
Downtown Radiology, Keefer	Weekdays 8:30 am to 5 pm; Saturday to 4 pm

Browse every MSP-billing option under general diagnostic ultrasound and echocardiogram.

Route 2: private-pay

Private-pay clinics charge you directly. They are medical facilities and you receive a report.

Check whether you need a requisition. Of the 17 private-pay listings here, 7 require one, 3 say it depends on the exam, and for the rest we have no stated requirement on record. Each clinic page says which applies.
Check the price. Published prices run from $325 to $900. See private ultrasound cost in Vancouver.
Contact the clinic by phone, online form or email, or send a quick appointment request from this site and the clinic will get back to you.

Private-pay is the usual route for people who do not have MSP yet. New BC residents wait for the rest of the month in which they become a BC resident, plus two more months, before coverage starts, and the BC government advises arranging private insurance for that period.

Several private clinics are open evenings and weekends: Access MRI in Surrey (weekdays to 8:30 pm, weekends to 4:30 pm), Vancouver Ultrasound (weekdays to 9 pm, Saturday 9 to 5) and Fast Track Ultrasound (Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 9 pm).

Route 3: 3D/4D keepsake studios

These studios make pregnancy images and video as a keepsake. It is a non-medical service: there is no diagnosis and no report, and it does not replace the scans your care provider orders.

Pick the week. Sex from about 16 weeks; 3D faces at about 24 to 32 weeks.
Pick the package. Standard sessions cost about $145 to $200.
Book directly online, by phone or by message, or send a quick appointment request. No requisition is needed.

Details are in 3D/4D ultrasound prices and the best week to go. Read 3D/4D keepsake ultrasound is not a medical scan first.

How to prepare for an ultrasound

Preparation depends on the exam. The table below is what West Coast Medical Imaging, the largest community chain in our directory, publishes for its patients. Your own clinic’s instructions come first, so use this to know what to expect, and follow what your clinic tells you.

Exam	Published preparation
Abdomen	Morning appointment: fast for 12 hours, with a light fat-free meal the evening before. Afternoon appointment: nothing to eat or drink for 5 hours before.
Pelvis	Drink 4 glasses of water 2 hours before; finish drinking 1 hour before; do not empty your bladder until after the exam.
Abdomen and pelvis together	Fast as for an abdominal exam, and drink 4 glasses of water 2 hours before; do not empty your bladder.
Kidneys and bladder	Drink 4 glasses of water 2 hours before; finish 1 hour before; do not empty your bladder.
Pregnancy, up to 32 weeks	Drink 4 glasses of water 2 hours before; finish 1 hour before; do not empty your bladder.
Pregnancy, after 32 weeks	No preparation.
Thyroid, neck, breast, scrotum, soft tissue, abdominal wall, kidneys only	No preparation.

If you take regular medication or have diabetes, ask the clinic or your doctor how fasting applies to you.

What to bring

Your BC Services Card, or other health coverage details if you do not have MSP
The requisition, unless the clinic confirms it has already received it
Photo ID
For private-pay and keepsake appointments, a way to pay
A list of your questions, and a support person if you want one (ask the clinic first)

If you need service in Chinese

Several clinics list Mandarin or Cantonese service, and a few take bookings by WeChat. See Mandarin and Cantonese ultrasound clinics in Metro Vancouver.

Frequently asked questions

Can I book an MSP ultrasound without a doctor? No. MSP-billing clinics and hospitals need a requisition from a doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife.

Can I choose which clinic I go to? Ask the person who writes your requisition. Clinic pages on this site show what each one offers, its hours and how it takes bookings.

How long does it take to get results? The clinic sends the report to the practitioner who ordered the scan, and you get the result from them. Ask the clinic how long its reports usually take.

Not sure which route applies to you? The Coverage Checker asks a few questions and points you to the right kind of clinic.

Sources

Booking, hours and policy pages on each clinic’s website, read 9 October 2026 (linked from each clinic page on this site).
West Coast Medical Imaging, Patient preparation portal.
Fraser Health, Ultrasound – Burnaby Hospital.
Government of British Columbia, MSP coverage wait period.

This guide describes how clinics in our directory take bookings. It is not medical advice; your own doctor decides which exam you need.