Ballywho News

Online news site Health News Florida published an article recently about how often hospitals in the state have performed four common diagnostic imaging tests. The article referenced data collected and analyzed by the federal government. Based on this data, some hospitals were determined to be ordering too many tests, and others, not enough tests.

The four tests are:

• Mammogram
• MRI scan for lower back pain
• CT scan of the chest
• CT scan of the abdomen

Last week, the Bradenton Herald ran a story about recall rates for mammograms at Manatee and Sarasota county hospitals. This is how often a woman was asked to come back following an initial or diagnostic mammogram, for a second visit.

The Herald article noted that the federal government guidelines indicate that a mammogram recall rate under 8% is considered too low, putting a woman at risk for cancer, while a recall rate above 14% is regarded as too high, indicating that women are having unnecessary exposure to radiation.

Blake’s point of view

Robert Stouffer, director of the radiology department at Blake Medical Center, is concerned that women will read these articles and conclude that they should avoid mammograms. Blake has a mammogram recall rate of 8.2%, which is within the federal guidelines.

“For individuals who are hesitant to have a mammogram, they may see this as a reason not to,” says Stouffer, who has worked in the radiology field for nearly 35 years.

While mammograms do expose women to radiation, physicians and radiologists agree that the benefits of the test far outweigh the risks. (We receive radiation daily from the sun and from some of the minerals on the earth.)

It’s up to you

Instead of using news reports to make health decisions, Stouffer suggests a woman have a conversation with her physician, because the physician knows her and her medical history.

Based on his decades of experience, Stouffer feels it’s important for a woman who is 40 and up, or who has a family history of breast cancer, to get a baseline mammogram. If that mammogram shows possible evidence of cancer, she should not wait to make a follow-up appointment.

“That’s very basic medicine in my world, in diagnostic imaging,” he says.

Know where to go

Stouffer recommends that a woman get mammograms or other imaging tests at a facility with a reputation for quality.

At Blake Medical Center, mammograms are read quickly, and follow up appointments scheduled promptly. Not all hospitals or outpatient diagnostic centers have the resources to do this, Stouffer notes.

For more information about mammograms, or to obtain a physician referral, contact Consult-A-Nurse^® at 1-888-359-3552, or visit us online.