Eliminating a $45 out-of-pocket fee for 3D mammography, also called digital breast tomosynthesis, increased utilization of the procedure by 7.8%, according to a study published June 19 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Researchers from University of California in Los Angeles analyzed mammography data of 13,284 UCLA Health patients from between March 2018 and August 2022 for the study.
Here are five things to know from the analysis:
- The $45 out-of-pocket fee for digital breast tomosynthesis was eliminated in January 2021 when most insurers began providing full coverage for the procedure.
- Digital breast tomosynthesis utilization increased from 83.7% to 91.5% after the out-of-pocket fee was eliminated.
- Compared to white patients, utilization rates were 6.2 percentage points higher among Black and Hispanic patients, and 5 percentage points higher among Asian patients.
- There was a greater increase in digital breast tomosynthesis among non-English speaking patients, socioeconomically disadvantaged patients, Medicaid patients and commercially insured patients.
- “Eliminating out-of-pocket cost for digital breast tomosynthesis improved overall utilization and narrowed disparities,” the study authors wrote. “However, persistent inequities suggest additional strategies are needed to ensure equitable access to digital breast tomosynthesis for all women undergoing screening mammography.”
Read the full study here.
