Mammography procedure volume in the U.S. climbed 6% in 2000, according to a report recently published by market research and consulting firm IMV Medical Information Division. With the outlook for reimbursement improving, the market is poised to explore new technology, such as full-field digital mammography systems (FFDM) and computer-aided detection (CAD) systems, to improve the accuracy and throughput of mammography service, according to the Des Plaines, IL-based company.
IMV (formerly Technology Marketing Group) recently concluded a study that included participation of 10% of the 9,908 registered sites in the contiguous states, including hospitals, independent imaging centers, and physician offices with fixed and mobile services. The aggregate responses in the report describe the current mammography practices, their staffing, and plans for adoption of digital technologies for image capture and CAD. The report also profiles what other services are offered at locations, and depicts how services are marketed.
Based on the responses provided by the participating sites, 4.45 million procedures were performed by these sites in 2000, up 6% from their 1999 volume of 4.19 million. Assuming that these sites are representative, the estimated total of mammography procedures performed in the U.S. in 2000 was 44.5 million, according to IMV.
Of the procedures performed, 73% were screening, while 27% were diagnostic studies, according to IMV. Overall, 14% of the sites indicate that the typical lead time to schedule a screening mammography study was less than one day. Fifty percent had a lead time of one day to one week, while 28% took one week to one month to schedule a study. Eight percent had a typical lead time of over one month, according to IMV.
CAD is apparently beginning to proliferate into the marketplace. Nine percent of respondents indicate they currently have a computer-aided diagnosis/detection system, while 8% are planning to purchase a system over the next three years, according to IMV.
Ultrasound-guided biopsies are performed at 48% of the sites, while stereotactic biopsies are performed at 23% of the mammography sites. In other services, bone mineral densitometry studies are offered by 48% of the sites, outpatient surgical procedures (such as lumpectomy) by nearly 31%, and cholesterol screening by 20% of the locations, according to IMV. On-site breast MRI scanning is offered by 17%, and cardiac screening for women is available at 12% of the locations.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersMarch 9, 2001
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Film-screen mammography remains gold standard, IOM says, March 8, 2001
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