The Cost of After-Hour Electroencephalography

Abstract

Background and ObjectivesHigh costs associated with after-hour electroencephalography (EEG) constitute a barrier for financially constrained hospitals to provide this neurodiagnostic procedure outside regular working hours. Our study aims to deepen our understanding of the cost elements involved in delivering EEG services during after-hours.MethodsWe accessed publicly available data sets and created a cost model depending on 3 most commonly seen staffing scenarios: (1) technologist on-site, (2) technologist on-call from home, and (3) a hybrid of the two.ResultsCost of EEG depends on the volume of testing and the staffing plan. Within the various cost elements, labor cost of EEG technologists is the predominant expenditure, which varies across geographic regions and urban areas.DiscussionWe provide a model to explain why access to EEGs during after-hours has a substantial expense. This model provides a cost calculator tool (made available as part of this publication in eAppendix 1, links.lww.com/CPJ/A513) to estimate the cost of EEG platform based on site-specific staffing scenarios and annual volume.