Key result
Department A surgeons linked to ~$112 lower time cost per thyroidectomy versus Department B.
Why the study?
Surgical costs per procedure may vary by surgeon due to operating time and equipment selection.
Does the cost of thyroidectomy vary between surgeons from different departments?
Observational (n=475)
No
Does the cost of thyroidectomy vary between surgeons from different departments?
There is significant variability in the time and material costs of thyroidectomy between individual surgeons and departments, suggesting opportunities for cost reduction through standardization.
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.
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Aleman et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Thyroidectomy (n=475). Department A surgeons vs. Department B surgeons was evaluated on Mean time cost of procedures (MD -$112, p=.03). Thyroidectomies performed by department A surgeons had a significantly lower mean time cost by $112 compared to department B (p=0.03), though material costs did not significantly differ.
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