"It's encouraging that women for whom services are received through Medicare are not showing significant signs of any negative influence from mammography," Dr. Kang said. "If anything, the experience of breast cancer screening is potentially encouraging, as it appears to increase awareness of other preventive services."
There are a number of possible reasons for the increased odds of preventive services utilization, the researchers said. Adherence to screening mammography guidelines suggests a patient may be more proactive about her health in general, and referring physicians may consider a patient's willingness to undergo mammography as indicative of an understanding or acceptance of the favorable benefit-risk profile of recommended preventive services.
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"Our theory is that when patients are counseled about mammography screening, this represents an opportunity for the physician to bring up other preventive services and the health benefits of these services for women in their age group," Dr. Kang said. "So a patient's interest in breast cancer services specifically could raise awareness in preventive services overall."
In the future, the researchers plan to look at mammography's effects on the utilization of other recommended preventive services, such as colorectal cancer screening.
"Use of Breast Cancer Screening and Its Association with Later Use of Preventive Services among Medicare Beneficiaries." Collaborating with Dr. Kang were Miao Jiang, Ph.D., Richard Duszak, Jr., M.D., Samantha L. Heller, Ph.D., M.D., Danny R. Hughes, Ph.D., and Linda Moy, M.D.
Radiology is edited by David A. Bluemke, M.D., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wis., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc.
RSNA is an association of over 54,200 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill.
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