Why EEG estimates need a like-for-like comparison
An electroencephalogram records electrical activity from electrodes placed on the scalp. A short routine study while awake, a sleep-deprived or medication-induced sleep study, an ambulatory recording, and inpatient long-term video EEG can all be described as an EEG, yet they require very different amounts of time, equipment, observation, and hospital space.
This calculator separates a hospital estimate into covered charges, the patient cost-sharing rate, non-covered testing, consultation and interpretation, electrodes, sleep induction, test-room or inpatient charges, and other medical items. It then adds transportation, caregiver time, lodging, and lost income so that the result reflects a household budget rather than only the number printed beside the test name.
The tool does not contain a national average price, decide whether Korean National Health Insurance applies, interpret an EEG, or recommend a provider. A South Korean hospital estimate should be entered for the actual prescription, and every uncertain item should be verified with the hospital and insurer before using the result for planning.
A useful question for the billing desk
Ask whether the quoted amount includes electrode placement, physician interpretation, sleep induction, simultaneous video, the test room, and any inpatient room or consultation charge. A clear inclusion list is often more useful than a single headline price.
Match the recording type, duration, and channel scope
Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service materials distinguish EEG services by recording method and duration. The codes below are conversation anchors for checking an estimate. A code by itself does not guarantee coverage or determine what one patient will owe, because the prescription, technique, equipment, duration, facility, and claim conditions still matter.
EEG type, Korean billing-code clues, and estimate questions| Recording type | Code clues in official material | What to confirm |
|---|
| Routine awake EEG | F6141 · FA141 | Base recording, electrode placement, and interpretation |
| Mobile recording | F6142 · FA142 | Recording setup and equipment scope |
| Sleep EEG | F6144 · F6145 · FA144 · FA145 | Sleep deprivation or medication, drugs, and observation |
| Ambulatory EEG | F6143 · F6146 | Four-to-eight-hour or over-eight-hour duration and equipment return |
| Continuous EEG | F6149 | Per-day calculation and ICU or ward charges |
| Scalp long-term video EEG | F6151 · F6153 | Under or at least 64 channels, video, room, and recording days |
Intracranial electrode monitoring is outside this calculator because it belongs to a separate invasive procedure and inpatient care plan. Quantitative EEG used in some attention assessments also has a different purpose and pricing structure and is not treated as interchangeable with a clinical scalp EEG here.
Six cost groups behind the total
Covered patient share
Enter the covered gross charge and the patient cost-sharing rate supplied for this estimate. Outpatient or inpatient status, facility type, and special benefit rules can change the real share.
Non-covered test charge
Enter the amount identified as non-covered or elective. A published non-covered price may use a different unit or exclude associated care.
Consultation, interpretation, and electrodes
Separate initial or follow-up visits, specialist interpretation, extra electrodes, and consumables unless the hospital confirms that they are bundled.
Sleep induction and medication
Include medication, pre-administration assessment, recovery observation, and any companion requirement associated with induced sleep.
Test room, ward, and admission
Long recordings can cross calendar days or require a bed. Check recording hours, chargeable days, room type, and admission-related care separately.
Reimbursement and indirect cost
Subtract only a reimbursement that has been confirmed, then add transport, lodging, caregiving, and lost income to show the household impact.
Formula used by the calculator
Covered patient share = covered gross charge × cost-sharing rate ÷ 100
Test out-of-pocket cost = covered patient share + non-covered test charge
Medical cost before reimbursement = test out-of-pocket cost + all medical add-ons
Medical cost after reimbursement = medical cost before reimbursement − confirmed reimbursement
Household cost per episode = medical cost after reimbursement + all indirect costs
Planned budget = household cost per episode × number of planned episodes
How to build a reliable comparison
- Identify the prescribed study. Use the booking notice or ask whether it is routine awake, sleep-deprived, sleep-induced, ambulatory, or long-term video EEG.
- Align the scope. Hospital A and Hospital B should use the same care setting, coverage category, channel group, recording hours, and chargeable days.
- Separate covered and non-covered amounts. If only one patient-pay figure was given, request a breakdown instead of guessing the covered gross charge or rate.
- Mark bundled items once. Do not re-enter interpretation, electrodes, medication, video, or room charges when the hospital confirms they are included in the base amount.
- Add real travel and time costs. A second setup visit, a caregiver taking leave, overnight lodging, and missed work can reverse an apparent price advantage.
- Complete the confirmation checks. The result is more dependable after the prescription, coverage treatment, and inclusion list have been verified.
Worked example: two long-term video EEG estimates
Consider a fictional inpatient scalp video EEG recorded for 48 hours over two chargeable days, with two episodes planned. Every number below is an illustration of the calculation flow, not a hospital quote or a Korean national average.
Fictional long-term video EEG estimate comparison| Budget item | Hospital A | Hospital B |
|---|
| Test out-of-pocket cost | KRW 240,000 | KRW 210,000 |
| Additional medical cost | KRW 400,000 | KRW 450,000 |
| Medical cost before reimbursement | KRW 640,000 | KRW 660,000 |
| Expected reimbursement | KRW 300,000 | KRW 250,000 |
| Medical cost after reimbursement | KRW 340,000 | KRW 410,000 |
| Transport, caregiver, lodging, and lost income | KRW 460,000 | KRW 410,000 |
| Household cost per episode | KRW 800,000 | KRW 820,000 |
| Budget for two episodes | KRW 1,600,000 | KRW 1,640,000 |
Hospital A produces a household cost that is KRW 20,000 lower per episode and KRW 40,000 lower across the two planned episodes. That difference is a budget observation only. Continuity of care, travel feasibility, scheduling, emergency support, and the treating clinician's judgment are not priced by the formula and should not be replaced by the ranking.
Reading the result cards
Household cost per episode
This is the practical one-episode budget after confirmed reimbursement and after transport, care, lodging, and lost income are included.
Cost per hour or day
These normalization figures can expose different recording scopes. They do not measure diagnostic quality, necessity, or clinical value.
Warnings and confirmation
The tool flags missing confirmation, incompatible type or duration, an unexpected channel group, and reimbursement above medical cost.
Practical planning scenarios
Booking a sleep EEG
Confirm whether sleep is achieved through deprivation or medication. Include drugs and recovery observation when separate, and budget for a companion or alternative transportation if post-medication driving is restricted.
Comparing ambulatory recordings
Align the duration category, particularly four to eight hours versus over eight hours. Ask whether setup and equipment return require two visits and whether a deposit is refundable rather than a final expense.
Preparing for long-term video EEG
Recording hours and inpatient days are not always identical. Confirm the channel group, simultaneous video, room type, caregiver presence, expected number of days, and whether another planned admission should be included in the budget.
Safety and budgeting cautions
- Do not change or delay a prescribed study solely because of this estimate. Discuss alternatives with the treating clinician.
- If coverage is unknown, ask the hospital billing office and insurer instead of inserting an assumed cost-sharing percentage.
- Korean special coverage, the patient cost ceiling, and private indemnity insurance use different eligibility rules and settlement dates. Enter only a reimbursement amount that has a credible basis.
- If reimbursement is greater than the medical total, the calculator floors the post-reimbursement medical cost at zero and shows a warning.
- A scope warning appears when provider estimates differ in test type, setting, coverage category, channel group, recording hours, or days.
- For a prolonged seizure, repeated seizures without recovery, breathing difficulty, serious injury, or another emergency sign, prioritize emergency services over cost calculation.
Frequently asked questions
Can a routine EEG quote be compared directly with a sleep EEG quote?
Usually not. Sleep deprivation, medication, observation, and preparation can change the service scope, so align the test type first.
Should I enter the covered gross charge or only what I pay?
Enter the entire covered charge in the covered gross field and the applicable patient share as a percentage. Ask for a breakdown if the hospital supplied only one combined number.
Where does private indemnity insurance go?
Enter only an amount that the insurer has indicated is reasonably reimbursable. Leave an uncertain claim at zero to keep the budget conservative.
Is a published non-covered price the final bill?
Not necessarily. Verify the unit, bundled services, patient-specific additions, and the date of the published price, then request an estimate for the prescribed scope.
How do I enter a 24-hour recording with a two-day admission?
Enter 24 as the recording time and two as the chargeable or inpatient day count if that is how the hospital described the estimate. Ask how crossing a calendar day affects billing.
Can this calculator handle quantitative or intracranial EEG?
No. It is designed for estimates for non-invasive clinical scalp EEG. Quantitative EEG and invasive intracranial monitoring are outside its comparison scope.
Does the lower total identify the better hospital?
No. The result organizes the amounts entered; it cannot score clinical expertise, appropriateness, safety, continuity, scheduling, or diagnostic quality.
Korean statutory and coding basis
The benefit framework was checked against Articles 41 and 44 of the National Health Insurance Act and Article 19 plus Annex 2 of its Enforcement Decree. The detailed benefit and non-benefit framework was checked against Articles 5 and 9 of the Rules on the Standards for National Health Insurance Benefits. The disclosure and reporting basis for non-covered fees was checked against Articles 45 and 45-2 of the Medical Service Act.
On August 20, 2026, the verified Korean statutory document identifiers were MST 276651 for the National Health Insurance Act, MST 283469 for its Enforcement Decree, MST 285513 for the benefit standards rules, and MST 285327 for the Medical Service Act. HIRA materials were used to identify the EEG service-code clues shown above, not to install a nationwide price or automatically decide coverage.
Rules, billing notices, and hospital estimates can change. The booking-date explanation from the hospital and the insurer has priority over this educational planning model.
Compare the written scopes, not just the headline prices
Place each estimate beside the calculator, enter every included and excluded item, and resolve the scope warnings before setting the household budget. Keep the result as a planning note for the hospital and insurer, not as medical advice.