Mammograms offered soon

Alexis Barker
NLJ Reporter
 
The mammography machine that will be leased by Weston County Health Services should be delivered the first week of December, according to CEO Maureen Cadwell. Cadwell reported during the Nov. 15 hospital board meeting that the mammography machine was being built for delivery in December. 
Cadwell said she estimates that appointments will begin being scheduled in January, although she did not want to announce an exact date. 
“We will let people know and start scheduling when we are closer to a ready date,” Cadwell said.
The machine was authorized by the board for lease on Aug. 15 for a cost of $252,000. The mammography machine will provide early detection opportunities without travel in a county that has one of the highest breast cancer rates in Wyoming, according to Cadwell. 
Although the 3-D mammography machine will be delivered in December, Cadwell said, an accreditation process to certify the machine must first be completed. The process begins with an inspection of the machine by a physician who will review the machine and make sure it is operational. 
At that point, according to Cadwell, the machine will be used for “phantom” studies with different models to ensure that it is picking up what it is supposed to. 
Michelle Garhart, the hospital’s radiology department manager, said the accreditation process will give the hospital a Mammography Quality Standards Act certificate that will allow the facility to begin scanning patients. 
“There are a lot of steps in the process and hurdles to get over before we can say we are ready to go,” Cadwell said. 
According to Cadwell and Garhart, several steps in that process have been completed, including the training of the technician who will run the machine. Garhart said that the technician will be training with Dakota Radiology, with the scans being reviewed before patients in Weston County are scanned. 
Once the machine is ready for use, Weston County Health Services will continue to work with Dakota Radiology, which will receive the scans done in Newcastle digitally and radiologists there will read them. 
“What we are able to do here is a screening mammography. If something shows up in those scans and a radiologist feels more testing is needed, they will have to go to a radiologist,” Cadwell explained. “They will then determine what else is needed and do a diagnostic study.” 
Prices for scans at the local facility have not been set yet, but Cadwell estimates they will run between $100 and $200. According to Cadwell, most insurances cover screenings without a deductible or co-insurance. She noted that reimbursement to the facility is less than the actual cost. 
Garhart added that programs are available in Wyoming to help women without health insurance to receive mammography scans and that Weston County Health Services will offer that information to patients. 
“We see such a prevalence of breast cancer in our area, and the (hospital) board felt strongly that this is a much needed service in our community,” Cadwell said.