A Boulder County doctor had a hand in new state legislation that will affect the information that Colorado women receive after a mammogram.
Centura Health radiologist Dr. Taj Kattapuram, who is the legislative chair for the Colorado Radiological Society, was asked to research and testify on a breast density bill introduced by Sen. Angela Williams and Rep. Jessie Danielson.
The bill, now signed into state law, adds clarification to a 1998 federal act and requires radiologists to include patients’ breast density in their mammography results letter.
Kattapuram said the Mammography Quality and Standards Act offered minimal guidance on what the radiologists had to tell their patients about their mammogram.
“Basically, it told all radiologists nationally that they need to send a letter to their patients with their mammography results, period,” she said. “Other than negative or calling the patient back for findings, it didn’t specify what had to be in the letter. A majority of practices send a letter that basically says, ‘You had a mammogram on this day and it’s negative,’ or, ‘You need additional evaluation and we need you to come back,’ but there’s not much additional information.”
With the passage of Senate Bill 17-142 in the Colorado General Assembly, Colorado joins 29 other states that require radiologists to notify women of their breast density level after a mammogram. The bill went into effect on Oct. 1 in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Read the full story
