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Notification Letter
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Notification letter to patients of The Women’s Breast Care Clinic, Meridian, Mississippi

I am writing to let you know that there is a serious concern about the quality of the mammogram that we did for you here at The Women’s Breast Care Clinic on (date of the patient’s mammogram exam). We are working in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to contact all patients who had mammograms taken here between October 2, 2004 and October 2, 2006, to explain this problem and what you should do. We have also sent a letter to your health care provider about this problem.

Under the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) of 1992, FDA’s role is to make sure that all mammography facilities meet certain high quality standards. We did not meet the standards for clinical image quality established by our facility’s accreditation body, as required by the FDA. As a result, we ceased performing mammography on October 2, 2006.

The American College of Radiology (ACR) reviewed a sample of the mammograms taken at this facility. The results showed that some of the mammograms were of poor quality and not reliable. One of the problems noted was the way patients were positioned when the x-rays were taken.

We are working with the FDA to notify all affected patients about this problem. This does not necessarily mean that the results you and your health care provider were given were wrong. If you have not had a mammogram taken since the one you had taken here between October 2, 2004 and October 2, 2006, we recommend that you have your mammogram repeated. The hospital will pay for you to have your mammogram repeated.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

  • If you have had a mammogram at another MQSA-certified mammography facility since the one taken at JARMC between October 2, 2004 and October 2, 2006, there is no need for you to take any action other than to follow the recommendations from that subsequent mammogram.

  • If you have not had a mammogram taken since the one you had taken at JARMC between October 2, 2004 and October 2, 2006:
 
  1. You need to talk with your doctor as soon as possible about your medical follow up. We have sent a letter to the doctor who referred you to us for your mammogram explaining this problem.

  2. If you now have a different doctor than the one who referred you to us, you should make an appointment with your new doctor as soon as possible. If that is the case, please call this office and we will arrange for your mammography exam report and films to be given to you. We can also send your new doctor a letter explaining this problem to him or her.

  3. If you or your doctor decide that you should have your mammogram repeated, it should be done at an MQSA-certified facility. We can give you a list of MQSA-certified facilities, if you would like.

  4. The Women’s Breast Care Center will pay for your repeat mammogram at another MQSA-certified facility. Your insurance should not be billed for this procedure. Please present this letter, which serves as authorization for your repeat mammogram, to the facility where you are having your mammogram done. If you are receiving your repeat mammogram at a facility outside of Meridian, please instruct the facility to call 601-553-6250 to make billing arrangements.

If you have any questions, you may call The Women’s Breast Care Clinic at (601) 553-6250.