Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Is Medicare getting what it's paying for when it comes to new breast imaging technologies? A new report suggests that it isn't, at least when it comes to women who are 75 or older.
That's according to a study we're highlighting in our Women's Imaging Digital Community, in which Yale University researchers found that Medicare payments for new breast imaging modalities such as digital mammography and computer-aided detection (CAD) have risen sharply over the past decade.
The problem is that the researchers couldn't find any evidence that adopting the technologies has improved early detection of cancer in a population of women with an average age of about 75. The researchers believe the findings are emblematic of a larger issue in U.S. healthcare, with technologies being adopted before their effectiveness has been fully demonstrated.
Do you agree? And what do the researchers have to say about digital breast tomosynthesis, the promising new breast imaging technology that's on the cusp of widespread adoption? Find out by clicking here, or visit the community at women.auntminnie.com.
Also in the community, be sure to read this article on how volume could be more important than experience when reading screening mammograms, and this story on uneven access to breast MRI in the U.S.
Breast cancer in North Africa
In other news, an international group examined the epidemiological features of breast cancer in North Africa and compared them with what occurs in Western countries. We've covered the study in an article in our AuntMinnie Middle East special section.
The researchers found that breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in North Africa, representing 25% to 35% of all female cancers. And breast cancer in the region appears to be mostly a disease among younger women, contrary to what occurs in Western nations.
What's causing the differences? Find out by clicking here, or visit the community at me.auntminnie.com.
Book contest deadline
Finally, you only have a few days left to register for our contest to win a free copy of Doctored Images, the medical thriller by Dr. Robert Sherrier. Just click here and put "Doctored Images" in the subject line to be entered to win.
