How do physicians involved in breast care at Gundersen Lutheran address national quality standards for breast cancer?
Dr. Ellis: We record and track over 200 metrics that measure our level of care to include screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. Our list far exceeds the number of national quality standards available for comparison. We hope our experience, in combination with results from other institutions that share our commitment, will help update and expand current quality standards against which all breast imaging should be measured. For example, recall rate (number of women asked to return for additional evaluation after the initial screening mammogram) is typically 10 in 100 women at many radiology facilities. Our recall rate for 2002-2006 was 5.56% (approximately 5 out of 100 women asked to return for additional evaluation after screening mammography). Women deserve to feel confident that their annual mammogram is a one-time event. Maintaining a low recall rate through proper positioning and compression is a top priority for our technologists, day in and day out.
