Pediatric Outpatient Noncontrast Brain MRI: A Cost
Analysis at Three U.S. Hospitals
Leesburg, VA, December 21, 2022—Findings from an accepted manuscript published in ARRS’ American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) have highlighted potentially substantial
cost savings by reducing the use of sedation for pediatric brain MRI
examinations.
“The health system
cost of performing a sedated MRI was substantially greater than that of
performing a nonsedated MRI,” wrote first author Shireen E. Hayatghaibi,
PhD, from the department of radiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center in Ohio. “However, the cost of each individual examination type did not
vary substantially among hospitals.”
In
this AJR accepted manuscript,
Hayatghaibi et al. calculated direct pricing for outpatient noncontrast brain
MRI examinations at three academic pediatric hospitals. Labeling MRI examinations
as sedated, nonsedated, or limited, process maps were then drawn to describe
patient workflows, based on input from key personnel and direct observation.
Capacity cost rates were calculated for resource types within three categories:
labor, equipment, and space (supply cost was calculated separately). The cost
of each process step was determined by multiplying step-specific capacity costs
by the time required for each step. Costs of all steps were summed to yield a
base case total examination cost.
Ultimately, across
three free-standing pediatric institutions, the base case cost for a sedated noncontrast
outpatient brain MRI was $842 ($775–924 across hospitals), for a nonsedated MRI
was $262 ($240–285), and for limited MRI was $135 ($127–141). For all
examination types, the largest cost category, as well as the biggest source of
difference in cost between hospitals, was labor. Additional sensitivity
analysis found that the greatest influence on overall cost at each hospital was
the duration of the MRI acquisition.
“Health systems
operating within alternative payment models can use this comparative cost
information for purposes of cost reduction efforts and establishment of bundled
prices,” the authors of this AJR accepted
manuscript added.
North America’s
first radiological society, the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) remains dedicated to the advancement
of medicine through the profession of medical imaging and its allied sciences.
An international forum for progress in radiology since the discovery of the
x-ray, ARRS maintains its mission of improving health through a community
committed to advancing knowledge and skills with the world’s longest
continuously published radiology journal—American
Journal of Roentgenology—the
ARRS Annual Meeting, InPractice magazine, topical symposia, myriad
multimedia educational materials, as well as awarding scholarships via The Roentgen Fund®.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Logan K. Young, PIO
44211 Slatestone Court
Leesburg, VA 20176
703-858-4332
lyoung@arrs.org