Transportable versus fixed platform CT scanners: comparison of costs.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the aggregate hospital technical costs of a transportable computed tomographic (CT) scanner used to image patients in an intensive care unit with those of a fixed platform CT scanner in the radiology department.


METHODS
Direct fixed costs (ie, machine and service contract costs) and direct variable costs (ie, personnel costs) were calculated. Indirect costs, including space costs and departmental overhead, were calculated. Total costs were calculated as the sum of indirect, direct fixed, and direct variable costs. Personnel costs were calculated from time-motion analyses involving 95 patients who underwent brain CT with either a transportable (n = 51) or a fixed platform (n = 44) CT scanner. Costs per examination were calculated by using both low- and high-examination-volume models and compared with use of the Wilcoxon rank sum test.


RESULTS
The total cost per examination for the transportable scanner ranged from 108.98 dollars to 167.20 dollars for the high- and low-volume models. Total cost per examination for the fixed platform scanner ranged from 75.24 dollars to 112.39 dollars for the high- and low-volume models. For the transportable scanner, direct fixed, variable, and overhead costs were 87.05 dollars, 70.73 dollars, and 9.42 dollars per examination, respectively, with the low-volume model. The corresponding costs for the fixed platform scanner were 46.66 dollars, 55.69 dollars, and 10.04 dollars, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The technical cost of using an in-hospital transportable CT scanner is higher than that of using a fixed platform scanner.
Mayo-Smith
William W
WW
Department of Radiology, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University School of Medicine, 593 Eddy St, Providence, RI 02903, USA. wmayo-smith@lifespan.org
Rhea
James T
JT
Smith
Wendy J
WJ
Cobb
Cynthia M
CM
Gareen
Ilana F
IF
Dorfman
Gary S
GS
D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation*