Volume 72 Number 3, 1994
The Price of Mammography in the United States: Data from the National Survey of Mammography Facilities
Nancy Breen and Martin L. Brown
Data from the National Survey of Mammography Facilities are used to explore the efficiency of service delivery by mammography facilities. Screening mammography generally costs $100 or more. This study outlines principles reccomended to lower unit costs of screening mammography and examines the extent to which facilities surveyed employed them. It reports charges, volume, and other facitlity characteristics, comparing them with the assumptions regarding these features in a study by the Physician Pricing Review Commission. That study, sponsored by the federal government, concluded that screening mammography can be delivered for around $60; however, only 14 percent of the facilities achieved the requisite volume of 15 or more mammograms per day. Facilities must becom more efficient in order to change the lower rates. This case study may have relevance for other potentially expensive preventive measures and medical procedures.
