Mammography in West Virginia

A questionnaire was sent in 1988 to all sites conducting mammographic studies registered with the radiologic licensing division of the West Virginia State Department of Health Laboratory Services to determine the number of women served and the costs of the procedures. The number of sites, 61, appears excessive in view of the small number of women many of them screened during the course of a year and the high charges. Copies of the report on the questionnaire results were sent to agencies and other groups within the state to urge initiation of a more cost-effective system; however, four years later the number of units had increased substantially, and no coherent plan had been formulated. The report was helpful to members of the state legislature in their decision to mandate insurance coverage for women according to the American Cancer Society guidelines.