Cost Analysis of Thyroidectomy

Abstract

Background

Surgical costs per procedure may vary by surgeon due to operating time and equipment selection.

Methods

Cost and materials data were analyzed using an institutional database from a large academic, quaternary care center. The analysis included 475 thyroidectomy-coded operations performed by 13 surgeons from department A (n = 6) and department B (n = 7) between 2021 and 2023.

Results

Mean time cost of procedures was significantly lower for department A surgeons by $112 compared to department B (p = .03). There was no statistically significant difference between the material cost of procedures between departments (p = .40). The highest average material cost for a single surgeon was $1590 with the lowest being $523, demonstrating the high degree of variability between surgeons.

Discussion

Examining cost of materials alone, the highest and lowest-cost-ranked surgeons had a difference of $1067. Standardization of surgical trays and avoidance of outlier materials may be future avenues for research in decreasing costs.