High-Quality Mammography

To make sure that all women have access to high-quality mammography, a federal law -- the Mammography Quality Standards Act -- now requires all mammography facilities to be certified by the FDA. Each facility must demonstrate that it meets federal standards for equipment, personnel, and practices.

Equipment must be capable of producing high-quality mammograms with the lowest possible amount of radiation exposure. Furthermore, it must be regularly checked by a radiological physicist and adjusted as necessary to be sure that its measurements and doses are correct.

Doctors and other staff members must be specially trained to perform and interpret breast x-rays. The technologists who take mammograms are certified by the American Registry of Radiological Technologists or licensed by the state; the doctors who read mammograms should be board-certified radiologists who have taken special courses in mammography.

The regulations also specify that mammography facilities must perform mammography regularly and frequently, maintain quality assurance programs, and ensure proper and timely reporting of test results.

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.