MRIs in Germany (or at least my part of it) tend to be relatively rare and booked almost completely full, because with the prices the way they are, they're not profitable unless they're utilized as much as physically possible. There's therefore usually a waiting period of a few days for a non-emergency MRI, which tends to make them a less attractive option for doctors and patients than they might be if they were instantly available. On top of that, they're still relatively pricy compared to other diagnostic procedures, and in Germany, a doctor or hospital who prescribes too many expensive procedures may get personally stuck with the cost, instead of being able to pass them on to the patient or insurer.