 | With Health Insurance: Copay or 10%-50% Coinsurance |
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 | Without Health Insurance: $200-$3,000+ |
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| An EEG, or electroencephalography, measures electrical activity in the brain and can be used in diagnosis and treatment of head injuries, infections, brain tumors, epilepsy, sleep disorders, coma and diseases such as Alzheimer's. It also can be used to monitor a patient during surgery. | | |
| Typical costs: | - For patients covered by health insurance, typical out-of-pocket costs for an EEG would consist of a copay or coinsurance of 10%-50%. An EEG typically is covered by health insurance when medically necessary to diagnose or monitor a problem, or during surgery.
- For patients not covered by health insurance, an EEG typically costs $200 -$700 or more for a standard EEG -- or up to $3,000 or more if extended monitoring is required. For example, Garden City Hospital in Michigan charges $749 for an EEG, but offers the test for $199 through a special program for uninsured patients. St. Peter's Hospital in Montana charges almost $500 for an awake-and-asleep EEG, about $630 for an awake-and-drowsy EEG and almost $1,300 for a 24-hour EEG. And Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Nebraska, not including doctor fee, charges about $650 for an awake-and-drowsy EEG, about $700 for an awake-and-asleep EEG, about $1,100 for extended EEG monitoring of over an hour, and about $3,000 for EEG monitoring and video recording for 24 hours.
What should be included: | - An EEG technologist will ask the patient to lie down and will use a sticky paste to attach multiple electrodes to the scalp. The provider might then ask the patient to perform various activities, such as stare at a light, relax with the eyes closed and go to sleep. The test usually takes about an hour and a half. A computer screen displays a graph of the brain waves, and the test is later interpreted by a neurologist with special EEG training. The National Institutes of Health offers an EEG overview.
- In some cases, such as to diagnose epilepsy, extended monitoring might be required. In an ambulatory EEG, for example, the patient goes about daily activities for up to 72 hours while wearing monitoring equipment. And in an extended EEG, the patient is monitored, typically in a hospital setting, for 24 hours or more, usually with video recording.
Additional costs: | - If a standard EEG does not provide sufficient information, an extended EEG might be required at a typical cost of $1,000 -$3,000 or more.
Discounts: | |
Shopping for an eeg: | - A neurologist or other doctor typically orders an EEG. The American Academy of Neurology offers a neurologist locator by city and state, which offers the ability to search by subspecialty, including doctors who specialize in epilepsy. The EEG typically is performed either at the doctor's office or at a hospital by a trained EEG technologist. If necessary, the doctor ordering the test can make a referral to a hospital.
- For patients suffering from sleep disorders, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine offers a sleep center locator. Sleep centers often use EEGs to help diagnose sleep disorders.
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Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always consult your physician or pharmacist regarding medications or medical procedures.
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Article updated February 2012 |
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