Report Details Long Wait Time For Mammograms

New Yorkers seeking breast cancer screening appointments must wait on average more than a month, according to a report by Rep. Anthony Weiner's office.

The report released yesterday found that the average wait time for a mammogram appointment was longest in Brooklyn, about 7.4 weeks. Facilities in Manhattan had the shortest wait time, an average of 3.7 weeks. The report, based on a survey of 25 mammogram facilities citywide, found disparities between individual clinics, with some having wait times of six months and others offering appointments the next day.

At a news conference yesterday, Mr. Weiner linked the long wait times to low Medicare reimbursement for breast cancer screenings. The cost of a mammogram is between $100 and $125, he said, but clinics are reimbursed $83 for each mammogram. He said the gap has put financial pressure on some clinics, causing a number of them to close in recent years. This week, Mr. Weiner said he plans to introduce legislation to increase reimbursement rates by 15%, bringing rates up to $95 for each screening.

"We have to dramatically re-examine the way things are done," he said.

Last year, Mr. Weiner's office issued a similar report, finding that 67 mammography clinics citywide closed since 1999.

Yesterday, the director of the breast imaging section at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. D. David Dershaw, said mammograms are "one of the few medical interventions that absolutely save lives."

Health experts recommend yearly mammograms for women over age 40. More than 182,000 women nationwide develop breast cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

In New York City, health officials reported that breast cancer is responsible for 1,260 deaths each year. About 23% of women who are 40 or older have not had a recent mammogram.