title: A clinically effective breast cancer screening program can be cost-effective, too.
abstract: The logistics of complying with current American Cancer Society breast cancer screening recommendations in a large health maintenance organization, serving more than 50,000 women age 40 or older, are described. An alternative screening approach estimated to be at least as health-effective as the American Cancer Society recommendations has been developed and appears to solve the problem and is financially feasible. Cost-effectiveness depends on optimal use of mammography and health-care personnel resources. The authors show how the start-up and maintenance costs of an organized program can be offset by future cost savings resulting from reduced long-term disability in patients diagnosed at Stages 0-1 as opposed to Stages 2 and later. Careful selection of the delivery model before implementation can make a breast cancer screening program cost-effective as well as health-effective.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D014861:Washington