OBJECTIVES: The current trend of sustained growth in medical imaging in France requires a precise methodology in order to determine the actual unit costs of imaging acts. This analysis appraises these costs using the example of Computerized Tomography (CT) scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

METHODS: Seeking to provide the most precise unit costs from National Health Insurance perspective, real life data have been collected from Open Data sources: National Health Insurance database “Classification Commune des Actes Médicaux” (CCAM), Open DAMIR, and other public databases. The number of MRI and CT-scan, their proportion per age profile or per power and the number of acts have been collected. Tariffs for “intellectual activity” of the radiologist and “technical package” for the depreciation and operation of the machines were based on the amendment on the list of technical acts covered by the National Health Insurance. Since 2017, CT-scan technical package tariffs have been determined relative to reference activities based on the class of the device, its amortization and the threshold of reference activity and MRI tariffs on the geographical area of center in which the machine in which it is used, its power (in tesla), its amortization and the threshold of reference activity.

RESULTS: In France, we can estimate that there are roughly 1,100 CT-scan and more than 800 MRI in 2018. The volume of acts performed on these machines can be estimated at respectively 5 and 3.6 million. From a National Health Insurance perspective, the CT-scan total unit cost can be estimated at more than 140 € and the MRI unit cost at roughly 170 €.

CONCLUSIONS: Previous calculations of sectional imaging unit cost used arithmetic average. This analysis uses real-word data which provides a more precise estimation that could be used for health economics modelling, budget impact model and cost studies.