After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women.
Mammographies are an effective tool for detecting breast cancer in the early stages.
Given these facts, routine mammograms are an important tool for identifying breast cancer in its early stages, when treatment has the highest likelihood of success. These would include mammograms women received that were paid for by Medicaid or other insurers, if no claims were submitted to Medicare, and mammograms provided by free screening programs. HER calculated the 1996-1997 mammography screening rates for the Medicare FFS population that had visited the practice at least once in 1997. Two of the five group practices reported that they had participated in free screening programs during the indicated time period. Because these screening programs were funded by the Federal government, no bills would have been generated and sent to Medicare for the services.