Senate bill could endanger breast screening payments

Dear AuntMinnie Member,

Legislation under consideration in the U.S. Senate this week could remove requirements that insurance companies pay for cancer screening services such as mammography.

The provision is buried in the text of S. 1955, a bill that is intended to make it easier for small businesses to purchase health insurance for their employees. But the legislation would let medical insurers ignore requirements currently in effect in 49 states that require them to pay for mammography screening.

Mammography proponents believe the bill is bad public policy that could exacerbate the already-worsening problem of access to mammography. Read all about this still-developing story in our Women's Imaging Digital Community by clicking here.

In another article we're featuring, breast MR is proving its value as a tool for tracking early response to breast cancer treatment, according to a presentation at this week's International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) conference in Seattle. MRI is capable of detecting changes at the cellular level that can be precursors to more easily visualized measures like tumor size and volume. Get the details by clicking here.

Finally, we examine the trend toward full-field digital mammography (FFDM) in another article we're highlighting in the Community. FFDM systems have many benefits, but are they worth the $400,000 price tag? Find out if FFDM is right for your facility by clicking here, or visit our Women's Imaging Digital Community at womens.auntminnie.com.