Payer type and prediction of the time from epilepsy onset to neurosurgical intervention and from first diagnostic MRI to neurosurgical consultation in lesional drug-resistant epilepsy at a California level IV epilepsy center

Children with DRE and MRI findings of a structural abnormality with public insurance received surgery later from the time of epilepsy onset compared with those with private insurance at UCSF. During the course between epilepsy onset and surgery, the time from first diagnostic MRI to the first neurosurgery visit accounted for delay between groups. While socioeconomic variables differed between patients with private and public insurance, insurance type was the most consistent variable associated with disparity in the time interval to surgery.