Corporate Compliance Newsletters

APC Answer Letter APC Payment Insider Briefings on APCs Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies Briefings on HIPAA Health Care Auditing Strategies Health Information Compliance Insider JustCoding.com Laboratory Compliance Insider Mammography Regulation and Reimbursement Report Strategies for Health Care Compliance

Comply with FDA regulations and interpret the Mammography Quality Standards Act with Mammography Regulation Report.

Subscribe »

2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Mammography Regulation and Reimbursement Report

Issue 12, December 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Committee recommends that stereotactic breast biopsy be included in MQSA regulation

  Facilities performing stereotactic breast biopsies might be regulated under MQSA if the FDA agrees...

• UnitedHealthcare appears to be backing off CAD stance

  UnitedHealthcare has backed off its initial decision to suspend payment for mammography CAD-at...

• Structure your organization for efficiency when faced with new financial challenges

  Mammography facilities have long struggled to turn a profit in the face of low reimbursement. But...

• Telemammography: An alternative to staffing shortages

  Mammography was an outsider in the world of teleradiology. But times change. With digital...

Issue 11, November 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CAD reimbursement in jeopardy again

  Another insurer has decided to cut reimbursement for CAD, but this time it's a large national...

• Mistakes you don't want to make when going digital

  Like your peers at most mammography facilities, you're either transitioning to digital mammography...

• It's not just a screening: Perfecting the MLO view

  This is part two of a two-part series about proper positioning that began in last month's...

• Taking the confusion out of PPV

  Positive predictive value (PPV) is a tool used by most mammography facilities to help gauge quality...

Issue 10, October 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Keep bugs at bay with infection control procedures

  Recently, a technologist at the Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic in Rochester, NY, encountered a...

• Provide incentives to technologists for strong image quality

  Every mammography facility wants to improve image quality. Although some point to prohibitive...

• Perk up your processes: Form a PIT

  If you're looking to improve your systems, put staff members on the task by forming a process...

• It's not just a screening: Perfecting the CC view

  Proper positioning is critical in mammography, but it can be difficult to achieve. This article...

Issue 9, September 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Insurer backs away from eliminating CAD pay

  CAD reimbursement doesn't appear to be on the chopping block-at least for the time being. In...

• Building your breast imaging practice by focusing on docs

  Efforts to build your practice don't have to be costly or labor-intensive. Often small, simple...

• Selecting images for accreditation: Choose only the best

  Technologists know when they've got a great image-the type of image they let linger for a little...

Issue 8, August 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Facilities penalized for fraud, imaging problems

  On June 22, the FDA released its 2006 Facility Adverse Event and Action Report, which is a...

• Help reduce the risk for women with dense breasts

  Numerous studies in recent years have shown that women with dense breasts are at increased risk for...

• Accreditation program moves ahead without ACR or SBI

  A new accreditation program designed to ensure quality standards at breast centers recently began...

• Don't fear the PACs purchase

  Although many breast-imaging facilities have moved into the digital age, many community hospitals...

Issue 7, July 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Breast-specific gamma imaging helps solve difficult mammography cases

  Typically, when a patient has a mammogram that shows an asymmetry or an area of distortion, the...

• Managing prior films is a primary concern when jumping to digital technology

  Whether your facility has made or is planning to make the leap to digital mammography, you'll need...

• Use skin-marking systems to improve positioning, boost breast cancer detection

  A raised mole or scar tissue from a breast biopsy can look like cancer on a mammogram. But if staff...

Issue 6, June 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Study sets recall benchmarks

  Experts have always debated appropriate recall rates for mammography facilities. However, a new...

• Emotional trauma from false positives can linger for years

  When a woman receives a call from a mammography facility about a suspicious finding, she often...

• Avoid complications and liability related to breast implants

  Breast implants may be designed to enhance a woman's appearance, but these devices don't make for a...

• Mobile van updates technology but maintains mission

  Twenty years ago, the Mallinkrodt Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St...

• Minimize patient anxiety by explaining recalls in depth

  Editor's note: In an effort to minimize the anxiety women feel when recalled after a mammogram...

Issue 5, May 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CAD shocker: Study shows technology may actually do more harm than good

  CAD was well on its way to becoming a standard of care in mammography, but the results of a new...

• Breast MRI gets a big boost from new guidelines and study

  Facilities that offer breast MRI are seeing a spike in interest following the release of an...

• Payment for MRI variable, but appears to be increasing

  Reimbursement opportunities for breast MRI appear to be increasing since the American Cancer...

• Increase efficiency; focus on physicians in digital transition

  The Women's Imaging Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA, has increased its patient...

• Ensure access to prior films by following these simple tips

  Make sure prior mammograms are always on hand for your interpreting physicians to review...

Issue 4, April 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Tackling patient misconceptions about new imagingtechnology

  A woman comes in requesting "that painless mammogram" she heard about on the news. Another says she...

• Columbia Regional Breast Center wins 2006 Breast Imaging Innovation Award

  Congratulations to Columbia Regional Breast Center in Longview, WA, which MRRR editors have...

• The final word on who can order diagnostic ultrasounds

  There has been much confusion about who can order diagnostic and screening mammography and...

• Use these telephone tips to help your facility bring women in for mammograms

  With the number of women getting screening mammograms dropping, it's more important than ever for...

Issue 3, March 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• How to hold on to your valued employees in a tight market

  It's hard to find good employees-so difficult, in fact, that many experts fear that staff shortages...

• Take on self-referred patients without taking on additional risk

  A self-referred patient is an individual who does not have a primary care physician and comes in...

• Lessen patient anxiety when waiting for results

  A mammogram can cause a lot of anxiety for many patients, particularly those with a family or...

• Stay on top of big coding changes for 2007

  The new year has brought the greatest number of procedure code changes that we have seen in...

• FDA issues guidance on CR mammography

  The FDA issued a guidance document in February that clarifies some concerns related to the Fuji...

Issue 2, February 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• 'I'm sorry': Two little words that may keep your physicians out of court

  When an interpreting physician neglects to diagnose cancer, he or she may end up facing the patient...

• Facility provides 'concierge care' for underserved population

  When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, it affects more than just her health. Such was the...

• Ninety-nine percent is far from perfect in healthcare

  A success rate of 99% would have most breast imaging officials giving themselves a vigorous pat on...

• FDA review: Accreditation bodies solid performers

  Mammography facilities are typically the ones in the hot seat, facing scrutiny from the ACR or...

Issue 1, January 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Regular audits reduce coding errors

  Mammography managers have a lot on their minds-and each of those items symbolize a possible audit...

• Steps for dealing with bounced checks

  Occasionally, every practice gets a patient's check returned because of insufficient or unavailable...

• Tips from legal counsel for reducing liability

  All healthcare professionals and facilities are sensitive to the risk of liability for harm to...