Mammography Rates in Iowa Continue to Decline

June 15, 2005

More than 40,000 breast cancer deaths and 269,730 new cases of breast cancer will occur in American women during 2005 according to the American Cancer Society. Sadly each year fewer Medicare eligible women in Iowa are having recommended screening mammograms.

“Physicians need to be much more aggressive in ordering regular mammograms for their patients. A referral from her physician is the most influential factor in a women’s decision to get a mammogram. Too many Iowa women are unnecessarily at risk because they fail to receive regular mammograms,” according to Mike Speight of the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care. “Numerous studies have shown early detection saves lives and increases treatment options, yet mammography rates are dropping from year to year.”

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and the risk of breast cancer increases with age. About 80 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50. In Iowa, two of three women who die from breast cancer are over the age of 65.

Only about half of Medicare eligible women in Iowa are receiving regular mammograms. Fifty-eight Iowa counties fail to meet even this astonishingly low statewide average.

“The simple fact is women over the age of 40 need to have regular mammograms’” Speight said. “The mammography rate in Iowa is extremely disappointing.”

Overall sixty-eight counties had mammography rates below last year’s rates. Jefferson County had the largest drop at 7.9 percent.

Decatur County accounts for the lowest mammography rate in Iowa at 35.4 percent and Chickasaw County the highest at 63.1 percent.

Mammography is especially valuable as an early detection tool because it can identify breast cancer early, usually before physical symptoms develop. Breast cancer mortality rates have declined due to the regular use of screening mammography and improvements in treatments.

Media Contact:
Deb Innis - (515) 440-8224

This material was prepared by the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Iowa, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. 7SoW-IA-PROP-06/05-064