Ensuring quality

The quality of the procedures associated with breast and cervical cancer screening has been demonstrated to be highly associated with mortality. Accordingly, public policy in cancer control is increasingly making the quality of a service or a program an integral requirement for funding or reimbursement. This article summarizes existing legislation related to cytology, mammography, and breast and cervical cancer screening, presents key elements of the quality assurance requirements of the federally funded Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP), and presents preliminary data to demonstrate evaluation of the quality assurance markers of the Michigan BCCCP.