Academic surgeons and surgical trainees consistently overestimate the cost of common labs, imaging and operations, according to a study published in Global Surgical Education, the journal of the Association for Surgical Education.
Researchers surveyed 117 faculty members and residents in the surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and urology departments at a single academic medical center. Residents made up 63.2% of respondents.
Participants estimated the cost of seven items: three inpatient lab studies, two imaging modalities and two specialty-specific surgical procedures. The team compared the surgical estimates with 2025 Medicare payment rates and compared the lab and imaging estimates with FAIR Health Consumer regional cost data.
Estimates missed by a wide margin. The normalized mean absolute percentage error ranged from 92.7% to 254.8% across all seven items.
Experience did little to close the gap. Faculty and trainees overestimated lab and imaging costs at similar rates, regardless of training level or specialty. On operative costs, faculty estimates had an error of 184.8% and trainee estimates had an error of 265.3%. The difference was not statistically significant.
Specialty made a bigger difference. On operative costs, OB-GYN respondents were the least accurate and overestimated most often. General surgery fell in the middle, and urology overestimated least.
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