WHO GETS REPEAT SCREENING MAMMOGRAPHY - THE ROLE OF THE PHYSICIAN

To determine rates of, and explore physician factors associated with, repeat mammography, administrative data for 791 women aged 50 years an d older were examined. Three-fourths of the women (73%) received repea t mammography (i,e., a second mammogram was obtained within six to 18 months of the first). Provider factors associated with higher repeat m ammography rates were: being a woman, practicing in the women's health group rather than the general internal medicine service, and being a fellow or an attending physician (p-values < 0.01). Patients of women attendings/fellows had higher repeat mammography rates than did those of men attendings/fellows, men residents, and women residents, Charact eristics (gender, level of training) of providers strongly influence t heir patients' screening behavior.