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1992.00.00 :  Medicare Mammography Screening

Contact:  Bob Hardy (202) 245-6145
1992 Press Release (No Date)

       Approximately 6,000 facilities throughout the United
States have been approved to receive Medicare payments for
screening mammography examinations for detection of breast
cancer, HHS Secretary Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., announced today.
       The 6,000 facilities include approximately 3,000 hospitals
that have obtained Medicare approval for their screening
mammography units.  Some physicians' offices and independent
radiological laboratories also have been approved to conduct
screening mammography examinations for Medicare beneficiaries.
       The approved facilities have stated in writing that they
comply with Medicare's requirements for screening mammography. 
Additional facilities are being added to the list as they affirm
compliance with the requirements.
       "Early detection and treatment is the key to surviving
breast cancer," Secretary Sullivan said.  "It is especially
important that women in older age groups have periodic
mammography examinations."
       Medicare coverage of screening mammography examinations
was authorized by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. 
The Health Care Financing Administration started to implement the

mammography provisions on Jan. 1, 1991 after publishing an
interim final regulation that specified the requirements to be
met by suppliers.  The final regulation is published in today's
Federal Register.        

        Acting HCFA Administrator J. Michael Hudson said, "We are
committed to enforcing strong requirements to ensure the safety
and accuracy of the screening process. 
       "When women seek routine screenings for the possible
presence of a life-threatening condition, they should be able to
have confidence in the reliability of the screening process."
       The regulations governing Medicare coverage of screening
mammography set forth qualifications for personnel who produce
and interpret the mammograms.  They mandate that the equipment be
specifically designed for mammography and be operated in a safe
manner to limit radiation exposure.
       Guidelines for conducting annual compliance inspections of
the mammography facilities are being completed.  A training
program will begin in June for state surveyors who will conduct
the inspections under agreement with HCFA.
       Medicare pays for screening mammography examinations every
two years for women 65 and over.  For younger women enrolled in
Medicare because of disability, annual screenings are authorized
for women aged 50 to 65 and for women aged 40 to 50 who are
determined to be at high risk of developing breast cancer.  The
law provides for a baseline mammography test for women aged 35 to
40 and screenings every two years for women aged 40 to 50 who are
not at high risk. 

       Medicare's primary mission defined by law is to help pay
for diagnosis and treatment of illness and injury, and the
program is generally prohibited by law from covering screening
services such as routine physical examinations.  The 1990 act
authorizing Medicare coverage of screening mammography
examinations and a 1989 law authorizing coverage of screening Pap
tests for detection of cervical cancer are exceptions to the rule
against coverage of routine physical examinations. 


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