January 31, 2017

Breast Imaging Company MammoLink℠ Rings in the New Year with Bold Predictions

BY Dr. Keith J. Kaplan

This looks interesting.  Wonder if this will generate more mammograms, more abnormal mammograms and more breast biopsies with potential to detect disease at an earlier stage. Does sound like a bold prediction putting the technology at point of care in primary care and ob-gyn offices. 

Startup breast imaging company, MammoLink℠, is improving breast cancer screening by making mammograms more accessible for patients in the United States.

MammoLink℠, a startup breast imaging company, believes it has found a solution to a growing problem in the current breast cancer screening system in the United States.

The company, founded by breast imaging radiologist Dr. Ryan Polselli, hopes to place mammography machines and radiological expertise directly in the hands of primary care and OB-gyn offices.

The word myths and facts and hand holding card against smiling women organising event for breast cancer awareness

According to company founder Ryan Polselli, the current process by which a patient obtains a mammogram is not only considered inefficient, but is source of frustration for patients and physicians, ultimately discouraging regular mammographic screening.

He states, “We have made tremendous strides in advancing imaging technology and the ability to detect cancer early, but the actual process by which a patient must obtain a mammogram hasn’t changed in over 50 years.”

According to Polselli, the concept for MammoLink℠ began when he was reading for an outpatient imaging center. He noticed that patients often skipped annual mammograms, sometimes several years in a row. At that time, he estimated that up to half of the 20,000 or so mammograms he read each year had inconsistent screening histories. Many of these patients had cancers at an advanced stage that should have been caught years earlier.

mammolink2Polselli explains that this issue does not stem from lack of awareness. In the United States, we raise 6 billion dollars a year in the name of breast cancer. Part of the problem is accessibility. While we have traditionally relied on hospitals and radiology groups to control essentially all mammogram machines and programs, MammoLink℠ hopes to makes screenings more available by placing machines in the direct paths of patients.

The prediction is that this model is the best opportunity for improvement in the current system and will provide more efficient screenings across the country.

To further streamline this improvement, MammoLink℠ has also taken away the financial barrier to make this change. Polselli says the company provides for all equipment and installation, regulatory compliance, expertise, and technologist staffing needs.

He explains, “Everything is free for them to get started. MammoLink℠ has organized the entire process. Our services typically amount to a small percentage of revenue generated.”

For primary care and OB-gyn offices, the only requirements include a practice that writes a small number of screening mammogram scripts a day, a room to place the machine, and a commitment to provide patients with better mammographic care.

“It’s really a no-brainer for any primary office that writes scripts for screening mammograms. Not only do we make it more convenient and efficient for patients and referring physicians, but there is a secondary benefit that a significant revenue stream is returned to primary care and OB-gyn physicians, many of whom have been recently squeezed financially by the healthcare system. For many practices, MammoLink℠ provides significant financial relief.”

Polselli calls the relationship a “win-win-win” for patients, physicians, and MammoLink℠

Source: Tampa Bay Times

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Comments (1)

  1. Ryan Polselli

    Thanks for your insightful comment, Dr. Kaplan. I believe and sincerely hope this will improve the entire process…from patient to pathologist. I think there is room to streamline the process from radiology to pathology as well and hope that as we evolve we will be able to have a positive impact on this relationship as well! -Ryan Polselli

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