Recent Trends in Mammography Utilization in the Medicare Population: Is There a Cause for Concern?

The utilization rate of all mammography showed a substantial 48% increase between 1996 and 2005, and an 11% increase in screening mammography was seen between 2000 and 2005. Although the increase in mammography utilization is encouraging, the 2005 rate of 39,363 per 100,000 female Medicare beneficiaries seems to be well below American Cancer Society recommendations.