title: Are Physicians Influenced by Their Own Specialty Society's Guidelines Regarding Mammography Screening? An Analysis of Nationally Representative Data.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to determine whether primary care physicians were influenced by their own specialty society's mammography screening recommendations after the 2009 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's (USPSTF) revised recommendations were released.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed an analysis of cross-sectional nationally representative data for 2007-2012 from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS). All office-based preventive services visits for women 40 years old or older were included. Multivariate regression analyses were used to identify changes over time in the mammography referral rate per 1000 visits by physician specialty, adjusting for patient- and office-level covariates. All analyses were weighted to account for the multistage probability sampling design of NAMCS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our analysis represented an average of 35,947,290 office visits per year. Overall, between 2007-2008 and 2011-2012, mammography referral rates (per 1000 visits) decreased from 285 to 215 referrals (-25.0% adjusted change; p = 0.006). The largest decrease was among family physicians (from 230 to 128; -49.0% adjusted change; p < 0.001), followed by internal medicine physicians (from 135 to 79; -45.8% adjusted change; p = 0.038). No statistically significant change was noted among obstetricians and gynecologists over time (from 476 to 419; -14.4% adjusted change; p = 0.23).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Family and internal medicine physicians, whose societies adhered to 2009 USPSTF recommendations for biennial screening starting at age 50 years, showed statistically significant decreases in mammography referral rates over time. Obstetricians and gynecologists, whose society continued to recommend annual screening starting at age 40 years, showed no statistically significant change in mammography referral rates over time. Physicians may be influenced by their own society's recommendations, which may influence their shared decision-making discussions with patients.
authors: 1 Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, 825 Eastlake Ave East, G3-200, Seattle, WA 98109-1023.
authors: John R
authors: JR
authors: Scheel
authors: 1 Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, 825 Eastlake Ave East, G3-200, Seattle, WA 98109-1023.
authors: Daniel S
authors: DS
authors: Hippe
authors: 1 Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, 825 Eastlake Ave East, G3-200, Seattle, WA 98109-1023.
authors: Linda E
authors: LE
authors: Chen
authors: 1 Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, 825 Eastlake Ave East, G3-200, Seattle, WA 98109-1023.
authors: Diana L
authors: DL
authors: Lam
authors: 1 Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, 825 Eastlake Ave East, G3-200, Seattle, WA 98109-1023.
authors: Janie M
authors: JM
authors: Lee
authors: 2 Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA.
authors: Joann G
authors: JG
authors: Elmore
authors: 1 Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, 825 Eastlake Ave East, G3-200, Seattle, WA 98109-1023.
authors: Habib
authors: H
authors: Rahbar
authors: 1 Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, 825 Eastlake Ave East, G3-200, Seattle, WA 98109-1023.
authors: Savannah C
authors: SC
authors: Partridge
authors: 1 Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, 825 Eastlake Ave East, G3-200, Seattle, WA 98109-1023.
authors: Christoph I
authors: CI
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States
keywords: breast cancer; mammography; screening; society guidelines