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

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Mammography Regulation and Reimbursement Report

Issue 12, December 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Focus on quality indicators to reduce racial disparity

  When Congress approved MQSA in 1994, the healthcare community hailed it as a means of ensuring the...

• Low-income women skip annual exams due to cost

  This is the estimated amount of money women who participated in the federal Breast and Cervical...

• Customer service more critical in new economic times

  Patients are increasingly holding off on seeking health services with copayments and deductibles...

• Digital mammography and the fatty breast

  Although digital mammography may have advantages for some women, particularly younger women with...

• Achieve printing perfection when dealing with digital

  Many facilities that make the switch to digital imaging assume that hardcopy prints are a thing of...

Issue 11, November 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• New NEJM study: CAD results not so glum now

  CAD is as effective as a double read by two radiologists, albeit with a slightly higher recall...

• Molecular breast imaging has advantages over MRI

  A new imaging device currently in research stages could become an effective tool for certain groups...

• Digital saves cost for those who embrace it

  Digital mammography may require a larger outlay of cash when it is initially installed at a...

• ACR spills secrets to accreditation and missteps to avoid

  Not everyone is computer-savvy. When it comes to digital mammography accreditation, you need to...

• Successful accreditation starts with the basics

  Planning on going digital? It’s important to understand the basics of the...

Issue 10, October 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• A dozen tips for a stellar stereotactic program

  In the early 1990s, the quality of a woman’s mammogram varied greatly depending on the...

• Correct coding for stereotactic breast biopsies

  Coding for stereotactic breast biopsies is not terribly complicated. It is important for coders to...

• Legal risks associated with digital mammography

  Using a technology that potentially finds more cancers in certain high-risk groups is a good thing...

• Tools to help handle difficult staff members

  There’s a character in virtually every book, movie, or television show that gets laughs...

• Maximize the return on your investment

  Hiring the right consultant brings fresh perspective to your organization and helps you increase...

• Reimbursement and regulatory actions

  In August, the New York state Medicaid office notified New York facilities that it will not pay for...

Issue 9, September 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Mammography pain reduction available in over-the-counter gel

  Getting a mammogram can be uncomfortable, even painful, for many women. Fear of this pain makes...

• Dealing with stress critical for the health of the department

  Stress is a fact of life for many mammography technologists. The amount of stress may be on the...

• Distribute information about performing a breast self-exam

  Q: Why should I do a breast self-exam (BSE)? Should I not do a BSE? Does a BSE take the place of...

• Standard four-view exam might be limited with digital

  Technologists who use analog mammography units generally achieve four-view exams easily with...

• Beware of digital unit/PACS compatibility problems

  The FDA notified facilities with digital mammography units about technical compatibility problems...

Issue 8, August 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• How analog facilities can retain patients, boost volume amid digital competition

  Many facilities have already made the switch to digital mammography. These organizations use the...

• Change your facility's characteristics to improve interpretive accuracy

  It's common knowledge that a less-experienced radiologist and certain patient characteristics can...

• Planning is critical during the hiring process

  There's much more to hiring the right radiologist than just finding the right candidate. You need...

• Outreach, internal navigation program help spot breast cancer earlier in black women

  When a black woman receives a diagnosis of breast cancer, she's more likely to die from the disease...

Issue 7, July 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Screening ultrasound detects cancers in women with intermediate risks

  Women with an elevated risk of breast cancer, but who don't have a high enough risk to warrant an...

• FDA issues updates, makes no mention of reauthorization

  If you're wondering when MQSA will be reauthorized, you're not alone. Authorization from the FDA...

• MammoPad aids patient positioning, comfort on digital units

  Facilities that experience success using the MammoPad on their analog units will likely find...

• Mammography of the augmented breast

  As mammography technologists, one of our main goals is to position a patient's breast to image the...

Issue 6, June 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Recall rate may jump as a result of digital conversion

  If you're planning to convert to digital mammography, you've probably focused a lot on how the...

• Avoid legal risks when screening elderly patients

  Many octogenarians today remain vital and in good health. As a result, some women will continue to...

• Reduce wait times: Have radiologists read from home

  Three years ago, Alan Melton, MD, stopped making the 110-mile commute from his home in West...

Issue 5, May 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• MQSA to look at lay letters, infection control, digital QC

  MQSA inspectors appear to be making good on the FDA's promise to make sure that facilities send out...

• Digital disinfection: Does your facility put patients at risk?

  Even if you regularly use a disinfecting solution to clean your digital unit, you may not be...

• Adverse event/action report reveals fraud, QA issues

  On March 21, the FDA released its 2007 Adverse Event and Action Report, which details actions...

• Avoid top 2008 coding and billing pitfalls

  Think you finally have your coding and billing process in line, especially since none of the breast...

• Keep physicians happy after they're hired

  It is no small feat to find a new radiologist to fill a vacancy in your facility in a tight market...

Issue 4, April 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Breast MRI: A growing technology one year after new recommendations

  t's been one year since the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommended that certain high-risk women...

• Get a grip on your facility's work flow

  It's a common scenario: A facility with four analog mammography machines decides to go digital. The...

• Retention should be as much of a focus as recruitment

  Looking for a mammography technologist or mammographer? So are a lot of other facilities-which is...

• Marketing tips to promote your digital program

  When Charlotte (NC) Radiology began its digital conversion in July 2006, it launched an extensive...

Issue 3, March 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Don't let patient mammo reports get lost in the mail

  Some patients do not receive their mammography results-and the FDA has noticed. In an Inspection...

• GE first in customer satisfaction for digital equipment

  If you're looking to purchase a digital mammography system in the near future, take a look at a new...

• Digital is still the better choice for younger women

  A new analysis of data from the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (DMIST) validates its...

• The lateromedial oblique view (true reverse oblique)

  The lateromedial oblique (LMO) view shows lesions deep in the lateral aspect of the breast. The LMO...

Issue 2, February 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Digital mammography not enough bang for the buck

  Medicare currently pays $50 more for a digital mammogram than a film mammogram, but according to a...

• Reduce quality variations by auditing and training radiologists on diagnostic mammograms

  Radiologists can have vastly different abilities when it comes to detecting cancers on a diagnostic...

• Program speeds path from screening to diagnosis for underserved women in Florida

  When a woman receives an abnormal result on a mammogram, she typically goes on for additional...

Issue 1, January 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Consider culture when looking at recall rates

  Many facilities' recall rates have crept up from an average of 5% to rates ranging from 12%-15% in...

• UnitedHealthcare's decision stands: Other payers to follow suit

  UnitedHealthcare will continue paying for CAD for mammography, but the official position of the...

• Improving diagnostic positioning in mammography: The exaggerated craniocaudal view (XCCL)

  The exaggerated craniocaudal view (XCCL) will show lesions deep in the lateral aspect of the...