Michigan women now have a quick way to identify the best mammography and breast imaging centers in the state. The American College of Radiology has recognized five Michigan centers for their investment in staff and advanced technology to provide prompt, precise tests.

The Breast Imaging Center of Excellence distinction has been awarded to St. Joseph Mercy - Oakland, Pontiac; Oakwood Breast Care Center, Dearborn; Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, Clinton Township; McLaren Imaging Center, Flint; and Bronson Center for Women, Kalamazoo.

About 18 others have applied for the designation. But the selection process is so strict that many, if not most, of the state's 275 breast imaging centers might never qualify.

"These people know what they are doing," Rebecca Bairley, 55, of Clinton Township said after her mammogram last week at the Henry Ford Macomb Center.

"It isn't a cattle call," added Dawn Polomski, 48, of Utica, who was at the Macomb center for a breast imaging test. "They are thorough but nurturing."

The five Michigan centers beat out some of the area's biggest breast imaging programs, including larger hospitals in their health systems and nearby competitors. The process requires separate reviews and standards for three areas: mammography; stereotactic breast biopsy; and breast ultrasound screening and biopsy services.

Each has gone far beyond state and national mammography laws, as well as an accreditation program from the radiology association. Doctors at the centers must submit examples of their work for review by leading national experts. Nationwide, 246 centers have been named a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, a program begun last year.

"It's an extremely high bar, which is why we were excited about it," said Kelly Smith, administrator of clinical services for Oakwood Healthcare.

Improving Survival Rates
Equally significant, the designation shows that hospitals are willing to invest in breast imaging as a community service, even though the investment is costly and may take several years to recoup.

"Women's services are challenging because they tend not to be the most lucrative," Smith said. "Heart and surgery have much larger returns. But this is the right thing to do."

Brook Ward, vice president for clinical and ambulatory services at Bronson, said breast imaging programs "are critically important because they improve a woman's survival" when cancer is caught early.

And because women often are the health care decision-makers in their families, their satisfaction means they, family and friends may return for other care, much the way families stay with a hospital after having a child.

Oakwood initially spent $3 million when it opened its new breast imaging center in November 2006. It has invested another $1 million since.

Visits to the center have more than doubled, from 32,941 appointments in 2005 to 69,751 last year.

Working to Build Trust
Henry Ford Macomb has invested nearly $4 million since 2003 in its breast imaging program.

To receive the excellence designation, the hospital bought a digital mammography machine that allows it to take pictures of larger breasts — a $450,000 investment, said Donna Moir, director of medical imaging and diagnostic radiology at Henry Ford Macomb.

Although digital is equal to the so-called analog mammogram, national studies show it has proven better than conventional tests in women younger than 50 with denser breasts. In that group, "the new second-generation of digital equipment blows everything away," said Dr. Mark Segel, director of breast imaging at the Macomb center.

The hospital invested another $2 million in a special coil device to perform breast tests on its magnetic imaging resonance machine, a service not widely offered. Women, including female physicians, come from nearby states because of the reputation of the hospital and Segel.

"Our goal is to be the region's most trusted health care leader," said Gary Beaulac, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Henry Ford Macomb. "Having these types of programs gets us to that level."

Offering Quicker Results
With all services centralized at one site, women are able to get results from a breast biopsy in as little as two to three days, compared with as much as two weeks or more elsewhere, Segel said.

Having a top-notch program in Flint has helped McLaren's breast imaging program stay profitable, despite the downturn in the local economy, said Dr. Linda Lawrence, medical director of McLaren's Imaging Center.

"We're holding our own, which is pretty good, considering that we're a heavily invested General Motors town and people are leaving the community."

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last updated: 09/23/08

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