Barbara Mikulski: “I rise to introduce the Mammography Quality Standards Reauthorization Act of 2003. I am pleased to be joined in…”

“I rise to introduce the Mammography Quality Standards Reauthorization Act of 2003. I am pleased to be joined in introducing this bill by Senator Ensign and our bipartisan cosponsors. This important bipartisan bill is about saving lives. That's what the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) does. Accurate mammograms detect breast cancer early, so women can get treatment and be survivors. Mammography is not perfect, but it is the best screening tool we have now. I authored MQSA over ten years ago to improve the quality of mammograms so that they are safe and accurate. Before MQSA became law, there was an uneven and conflicting patchwork of standards for mammography in this country. There were no national quality standards for personnel or equipment. Image quality of mammograms and patient exposure to radiation levels varied widely. The quality of mammography equipment was poor. Physicians and technologists were poorly trained. Inspections were lacking. MQSA set federal safety and quality assurance standards for mammography facilities for: personnel, including doctors who interpret mammograms; equipment; and operating procedures. By creating national standards, Congress helped make mammograms a more reliable tool for detecting breast cancer. In 1998, Congress improved MQSA by giving information on test results directly to the women being tested, so no woman falls through the cracks because she never learns about a suspicious finding on her mammogram.”