Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The percentage of U.S. women receiving mammography screening has risen among individuals covered by Medicare, according to a new study, countering concerns that screening rates might be falling due to the confusion over breast screening guidelines.
Screening rates rose nearly 1.5% per year from 2004 to 2009, a study period that ended just as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued its controversial guidance that women in their 50s not receive routine mammography screening.
Dig a little deeper, though, and the results might seem less surprising. First, the study examined only women in the Medicare population, as opposed to women outside Medicare who might not have access to health insurance. Also, the authors speculated that some of the growth could be due to changes in procedure coding that shifted studies previously coded for diagnostic mammography into the screening category.
Still, the study offers some intriguing insights into other breast imaging technologies, and it documents the rapid rise of breast MRI and breast ultrasound, as well as mammography's shift to digital imaging. Read all about it by clicking here.
In other women's imaging news, a new study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine offers new guidance on how often women should receive bone mineral density exams. Get that story by clicking here, or visit our Women's Imaging Digital Community at women.auntminnie.com.
PACS market growth to continue
One area of radiology that's experiencing unquestionable growth is PACS, and a new market research report indicates that the trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
The global PACS market generated nearly $3 billion in revenues in 2010 and should grow at a 10% compound annual growth rate through 2017, according to a report by market research firm GlobalData. Fueling the rise will be government initiatives to move healthcare into the digital age, as well as the expansion of PACS into other healthcare specialties, such as pathology.
New technologies such as cloud-based digital image management will also drive growth. Learn more by clicking here, or visit the PACS Digital Community at pacs.auntminnie.com.
