Press Releases
REP. WEINER STUDY: NYC WOMEN WAITING UP TO SIX MONTHS FOR MAMMOGRAMS
Brooklyn women can wait up to six months just to access basic, cancer-detecting mammograms, a new investigation from Representative Anthony Weiner (D – Brooklyn and Queens), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, showed today.
The investigation, a follow-up study on mammogram accessibility at 25 randomly-selected public and private health clinics, found that four screening facilities added a full month to their wait times – despite the fact that some breast cancers can more than double in size in that time.
Rep. Weiner was joined by Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D – N.Y.), Dr. David Dershaw, Director of Breast Imaging at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, and Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham, founder of the Caribbean Women's Health Association.
The American Cancer Society recommends that women 40 and older have mammograms at least once a year. According to the city Department of Health, "breast cancer kills about 1,260 in New York City every year and still 23 percent of women 40 and older have not had a recent mammogram."
While the current nationwide average for a mammogram screening is between $100 and $125, the average reimbursement rate is only about $83 – leaving health centers to cover a twenty dollar gap. To make matters worse, in 2006, Medicare announced a 4-year cut. Since then, the average reimbursement rate cut has been 2.5 percent, or about $1.31, each year. Projections place 2010 rates at $80.72.
Rep. Weiner, who passed legislation to increase the Medicare reimbursement rates in 2003, plans to introduce new legislation this week to increase reimbursement rates 15 percent in 2009 – $95 per screening – and index the rate in later years. The step will help financially-burdened health clinics.
"Increasing access to mammograms clearly saves lives. Raising the reimbursement rate will ensure that women have increased options to protect their most important asset – their health," Rep. Weiner said.
Highlights of the study include:
• Citywide average wait for a mammogram is over one-month;
• Brooklyn facilities posted the longest average wait time for a screening – 7.4 weeks;
• Facilities in Manhattan had the shortest time, with an average 3.7 weeks;
• Wait times increased by two weeks at Queens facilities – from 2.2 weeks to over a month; and
• Three facilities posted only one or two day waits, while Professional Radiology Services in Brooklyn had a six-month wait for a mammogram – up four weeks from 2007.
Wait times varied – even within the same borough. Richmond Radiology in Staten Island, for instance, registered only a one-day wait for an appointment, while Staten Island University Hospital posted a three-month wait. Rep. Weiner urged women to compare waits at various clinics before deciding.
"Given that we've come such a long way in educating women about the benefits of regular screening, it is unthinkable that a health clinic would leave a patient waiting for weeks or months to get a professional diagnosis and begin treatment," said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez. "This is a matter of life and death. We must take every step necessary to ensure women's health needs are not overlooked."
Brooklyn's Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham, founder of the Caribbean Women's Health Association, said, "With early detection, the five year survival rate for women with breast cancer can be as high as 98 percent. Since we know that early screenings can literally save lives, we should be focused on expanding access to medical care, increasing the number of facilities providing care, and reducing wait time for mammograms in order to minimize the adverse effects of breast cancer, and lessen the emotional pain for women and their families."
Rep. Weiner's staff investigated the same 25 mammogram facilities reviewed in 2007. Staff called each facility to inquire what the earliest appointment for a mammogram was. The methodology used in the updated study is consistent with the methodology used in the original study of July 2007. To read the study, click here.
