FIXED-FACILITY WORKPLACE SCREENING MAMMOGRAPHY

OBJECTIVE. Potential barriers to compliance with screening mammography guidelines include the cost and inconvenience involved with undergoin g the procedure. Workplace screening with mobile mammography is one po ssible approach to the convenience barrier. However, fixed-facility wo rkplace screening is a viable alternative for any company with a large workforce in one location, This paper describes our initial experienc e with one such fixed facility. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The facility wa s a cooperative venture by a large pharmaceutical company and an acade mic radiology department to provide convenient, no-cost (to the patien t) screening mammography to employees, dependents, and retirees more t han 40 years old. The pharmaceutical company built the facility within its corporate headquarters and the academic radiology department prov ided the equipment and personnel, The company was billed a fixed cost per examination. RESULTS. In the first 22 months of operation, 4210 (o f 4559 scheduled) screening mammograms were obtained. The mean age of the population was 53 years old. Ninety percent of the screening mammo grams were interpreted as negative or benign; 10% required additional workup. Of the screened population, 62 biopsies were recommended and 6 0 were performed. Of these, 42 were benign and is malignant, The cance r detection rate was 4.3 per 1000 (0.43%). At the time of diagnosis, s ix patients were stage 0, 10 patients were stage I, one patient was st age II, and one patient was stage III. Eleven of the 18 patients had m inimal cancers. Of the patients who completed a satisfaction survey, 9 7% percent expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the screening process and stated they would use the facility in the future. CONCLUSI ON. A fixed facility for workplace screening mammography is a viable w ay to provide nearly barrier-free access to high-quality mammography. Patient acceptance is high.