Covera Health Expands Radiology Centers of Excellence to Include Prostate MRI

Covera Health has announced a major expansion of its Radiology Centers of Excellence (COE) platform by incorporating Prostate Imaging, with a launch scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. This move targets a rapidly growing and high-risk area in diagnostic care and reflects the company’s broader plan to introduce other disease-specific imaging programs throughout the year, including breast, abdominal, and chest imaging. As part of the rollout, Covera is actively onboarding new COE practices, reviewing provider applications, and coordinating with insurers and employers to ensure awareness and utilization of the enhanced quality network.

Since its inception in 2019, the COE platform has supported millions of insured individuals across the country. Initially launched in collaboration with Walmart, the platform is now trusted by a wide range of health plans and employers—including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan—to guide members toward high-quality imaging centers for routine services such as MRI, CT, and PET scans. Patients are matched with subspecialized radiologists for more accurate interpretations, a core aspect of the program’s value proposition.

This expansion comes at a pivotal time when healthcare stakeholders are increasingly focused on improving radiology quality, which can have far-reaching implications for patient outcomes. A previous study published in The Spine Journal revealed a 43% error rate in interpreting low back MRIs conducted at different centers on the same patient, underscoring how image quality and interpretation can vary significantly even for common procedures.

Financially, the program is proving effective. A 2024 analysis reviewed by Milliman indicated that patients utilizing Covera-designated imaging centers experienced up to 12% reductions in downstream healthcare costs. These savings are attributed to greater diagnostic accuracy, which helps prevent misdiagnoses and unnecessary treatments, as well as lower per-unit imaging costs within Covera’s high-value network.

Covera CEO Ron Vianu emphasized that Prostate MRI has become a critical juncture in prostate cancer care. Given the vast variability in how and where these exams are conducted, the risk of suboptimal imaging and misinterpretation is high. He stressed that this is not merely about the cost of an individual test, but about how a poorly executed exam can lead to a cascade of clinical decisions that may result in unnecessary interventions. The new COE offering is designed to standardize quality from the beginning of the care process, ensuring patients are set on the right path from the outset.

Prostate cancer remains the most diagnosed cancer in men, with approximately 314,000 new cases expected in the U.S. in 2025. Clinical guidelines now often recommend MRI prior to biopsy, which has led to a rise in the number of MRIs and subsequent biopsies—many of which are driven by ambiguous or poor-quality imaging. Despite standards set by organizations like the American College of Radiology, execution remains uneven across facilities, leading to unnecessary procedures that carry both medical and financial burdens.

Dr. Matthew Davenport, a radiology professor at the University of Michigan, underscored the difficulty of performing and interpreting Prostate MRIs, noting that improving imaging quality can significantly enhance diagnostic confidence and reduce unnecessary interventions. He stated that initiatives like Covera’s are essential in ensuring consistent, high-standard care across the country.

The new Prostate Imaging COE will automatically activate in early 2026 for existing employer and health plan partners using the Covera platform. When a prostate MRI is ordered, patients will be directed to imaging centers that meet strict quality criteria for both image acquisition and interpretation. Since the update integrates with existing systems, employers can expand their quality-focused imaging protections without requiring new contracts or technical adjustments, making the enhancement both impactful and easy to implement.