Years ago, when I wrote about the possible dangers of radiation doses from mammograms, I followed the consumer recommendations to call facilities that offer mammograms and ask about the age of their equipment, equipment certification, and technician training.
In recent years, I’ve been lax about this important consumer research.
However yesterday, when listening to reports on National Public Radio about the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, I heard a doctor talk about the importance of selecting the best facility to do your mammogram.
The quality of mammography screening varies widely across the country. It’s important for baby boomer women to call the facilities they’re considering and ask questions.
To make a list of facilities, you can get information about local Food and Drug Administration-certified mammography facilities at the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service line at 800–4–CANCER or 800–422–6237. Also, a list of these facilities is on the FDA’s Web site at www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfMQSA/mqsa.cfm.
Here are questions to ask the facilities on your list:
- When did you purchase your equipment? Does the FDA certify it? When was the last inspection? Tell me about your maintenance program. Does the equipment produce digital or film images? Digital technology is newer, but it isn’t known yet whether is produces better results than film.
- How skilled are your technicians? Where were they trained and how long was the training? Do your technicians update their training?
- What's the expertise of the radiologist who interprets the films? Where was he or she trained? Do you have a radiologist that spends more than 50 percent of the time working in breast imaging?
- Does your facility specialize in mammograms? How many mammograms do you do a day?
- Does your facility do audit reviews at least twice a year, and is the radiologist routinely given the results of these reviews? Audit reviews are a form of quality control. The facility should compare the mammogram interpretations with the results of the breast biopsies in order to regularly test the accuracy of the radiologists’ decisions.
- What dose of radiation does your equipment emit for a mammogram?
When you get to the facility for your mammogram, ask to see the MQSA certificate and check its expiration date. MQSA means the Mammogram Quality Standards Act. MQSA regulations also require mammography facilities to give patients an easy-to-read report on the results of their mammogram.
If you are satisfied that the facility is of high quality, continue to go there on a regular basis so that your mammograms can be compared from year to year.
For more information, see “Choosing a Mammogram Facility” and “How to Select a Mammography Facility.”
