Under federal rules that took effect yesterday, doctors and medical technicians who perform mammograms must provide patients with written test results.
Patients whose test results are ambiguous or show signs of cancer must be sent a writen notice within 5 business days. Doctors are also required to send written notice to patients whose test results reveal normal, healthy breast tissue within 30 days of testing.
While most doctors and clinics providing mammograms already provide written results to their patients, the Food and Drug Administration reports that a small number have failed to do so, resulting in unnecessary suffering and even death for women whose breast cancer was left untreated.