In his talk, Dr. Michael Ngo from Boston University will show results of a survey study identifying factors for declining patient adherence to recommended diagnostic imaging following abnormal screening since the adoption of the Affordable Care Act.
The Ngo team found in their collection of 932 surveys that 21.2% of women (151/714) would skip follow-up imaging if they knew they had to pay a deductible. Another 19.5% reported being undecided on whether or not they would go through with such imaging. These responses varied depending on race, education level, household income, and insurance payor.
The researchers also found that the highest percentage of women who would skip follow-up imaging were Hispanic (33%), have a high school education or less (31%), have a household income of less than $35,000 (27%), and have Medicaid or are uninsured (31.5%).
Also, 18.3% of respondents indicated they would skip screening mammography altogether if they knew that they had to pay a deductible for follow-up imaging or biopsy, with another 16% being undecided. These results also varied depending on race, education level, household income, and insurance payor.
"Identifying and addressing socioeconomic barriers to screening and diagnostic breast imaging is critical in addressing existing breast cancer disparities and ensuring better outcomes, especially for vulnerable populations," Ngo et al wrote.
See what other trends the team found at Ngo's presentation.
