Abstracts

The Financial Anatomy of a Typical Academic Level-four Epilepsy Center

Abstract number : 2.068
Submission category : 15. Practice Resources
Year : 2024
Submission ID : 954
Source : www.aesnet.org
Presentation date : 12/8/2024 12:00:00 AM
Published date :

Authors :
Presenting Author: Marina Azevedo, BSc – University of South Florida

Ana Omura, Bsc – University of South Florida
Melissa Polzer, BSN, RN – University of South Florida
Selim Benbadis, MD – University of South Florida

Rationale: Compared to private practices, academic medical centers invariably encounter financial challenges, with collection rates typically around 30% [1]. Our objective was to analyze the revenue components of a level-four academic epilepsy center to better understand its financial structure and dynamics.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on all 106 CPT codes utilized by the epilepsy division (4 epileptologists and 1 physician assistant) from 2021 to 2023. Charges and collections were obtained for CPT codes, research activities, and the neurology department as a whole. CPT codes were analyzed both individually and in groups.

Individual CPT Codes Calculations:
The total charges and reimbursements for each CPT code were summed for 2021, 2022 and 2023. The top 5 CPT codes were identified by combining the total charges for each year.

Group CPT Codes Calculations:
CPT codes were categorized into 9 groups detailed in Table 1. The total charges for all CPT codes within each group were combined to determine the CPT group total.

Research Calculations:
Research revenue was divided by the division’s total revenue to determine its relative contribution.


Results: From 2021-2023, the top 5 CPT codes for the division were:



  1. 95720 Inpatient EEG-video 24hr ($3,379,692) (wRVU 20990.68) 24% of all CPT codes



  2. 95819 Routine EEG ($1,461,782) (wRVU 4788.72) 10% of all CPT codes



  3. 99214 E&M clinic established ($1,283,942) (wRVU 6680.4) 9% of all CPT codes



  4. G0453 Intraoperative Monitoring ($1,044,140) (wRVU 6323.4) 7% of all CPT codes



  5. 95724 Ambulatory EEG-video 3d ($552,446) (wRVU 3546) 4% of all CPT codes




Top 5 CPT codes generated 54% of all charges. The average clinical reimbursement rate over the 3 years was 33%. Research charges comprised 5.1% of total division charges, while research revenue made up 9.7% of total division revenue over the same period. Between clinical and research revenue, the Epilepsy division contributed 13.4% of the entire Neurology department revenue. The clinical and research revenue are summarized in Figure 1.


Conclusions: Despite its complexity, analyzing financial data can serve as a valuable resource for academic centers to improve revenue and compensate for low collection rates. While the exact components of charges likely vary significantly among centers, our top 5 CPT codes generated for 54% of all charges.


Funding: N/A

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