Transition of Mammography Facility Image Evaluation, and Future Problems

Abstract

Mammographic screening calls for high-precision reading of high-quality mammograms. Therefore, from September 2004, the Mammography Facility Image Evaluation Committee of the Central Committee of the Quality Control for the Mammographic Screening, a nonprofit organization, has been performing evaluation of analog and digital images using a common evaluation basis. However, only a small number of facilities have undergone image evaluation, and the number that will be authorized in response to image evaluation as of August 2008, and listed on the Internet, is 1,259, which accounts for only 35% of institutions that perform mammography.
All mammography institutions, not limited to screening institutions but also those that carry out detailed examinations, should recognize that it is a social obligation to receive facility image evaluation as part of the quality assurance program.