Dr. Slanetz agreed that screening can be a highly patient-specific decision, and the notification laws create an opportunity for an in-depth discussion.
“This whole movement, I think, is wonderful because it really does open a discussion with our patients about the strength and limitations of these different imaging tools we have,” Dr. Slanetz said. It “opens the door for primary care providers to really individualize how we best screen patients because there are a lot of patients out there, whether or not they have dense breast tissue, that might actually qualify for high-risk screening.”
But Dr. Slanetz cautioned against laws that recommend a specific kind of screening. If the law calls for a specific test and there is no insurance mandate to cover it, “you are going to create potential disparities in access to appropriate care, having women who are of lower socioeconomic status not being able to take advantage of the additional screening,” she said.
