Technical cost of CT examinations.
OBJECTIVE
To measure the technical cost of different categories of computed tomographic (CT) examinations.


METHODS
For fiscal year 1997, the technical costs of performing CT examinations in a tertiary care academic medical center were measured. Costs were divided into labor and nonlabor categories. Indirect departmental costs were fully allocated according to activity-based methods. Hospital overhead costs were set at 85% of the departmental budget. Physician costs, including those related to image interpretation were not included. The technical cost of CT was determined on a per technical relative value unit (RVU) basis and on a per examination basis. For the latter, the technical cost of nonenhanced CT, contrast material-enhanced diagnostic CT, and interventional CT procedures were determined.


RESULTS
In fiscal year 1997, 45,599 examinations (22,158 [48.6%] abdominal and/or pelvic, 12,115 [26.6%] head and neck, 6,572 [14.4%] thoracic, 1,593 [3.5%] interventional, and 3,161 [6.9%] other) were performed with five CT scanners for a technical RVU output of 254,461. Of 45,599 examinations, 31,007 (68%) were performed with intravenously administered contrast medium. Overall labor costs were $1,744,653, and nonlabor costs were $2,912,282. The cost of a hypothetical CT examination with a mean technical RVU of 5.58 was $189. The overall cost per examination was $150 for nonenhanced CT, $237 for contrast-enhanced CT, and $462 for interventional CT.


CONCLUSIONS
Although CT is based on sophisticated technology, the mean technical cost of a diagnostic CT examination is less than $200.
Saini
S
S
Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 32 Fruit St, Boston, MA 02114. saini.sanjay@mgh.harvard.edu
Sharma
R
R
Levine
L A
LA
Barmson
R T
RT
Jordan
P F
PF
Thrall
J H
JH
D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006801:Humans; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000191:economics*