Memorial Regional Breast Care Center

HOW DO I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?

You or your physician’s office can make an appointment by calling 574-647-6850 ext. 2 or 1-800-284-6850 ext 2.

A screening mammogram is when you do not have any symptoms/problems with your breasts or you do not have a history of breast cancer. We do not need a physician order, but we do need the   name of your physician so he/she can receive a report on your exam. We will ask you if it has been a year since your last mammogram since Medicare/Medicaid and most private insurances will pay only once a year. We will ask you where your previous mammograms were taken so we can request them ahead of time or know if we need for you to sign a release form so we can use your previous exams for comparison. It is very important that your current mammogram and past mammograms are compared to see if there are any changes in your breasts. You should not be pregnant and have stopped breastfeeding for 3 months.

A diagnostic mammogram is when you have a history of breast cancer or you have a breast symptom such as a lump, specific focal pain, nipple discharge, dimpling, nipple retraction, soreness or other problems.. Also a diagnostic mammogram may be done for additional views (taking more mammogram images and/or ultrasound views due to an area seen on your screening mammogram) or short-term follow up of an area seen on a previous mammogram and/or ultrasound. We need a physician’s order for a diagnostic mammogram unless our radiologists are recommending the additional views or short-term follow up from a screening mammogram. You will need to notify your physician about your breast problem. Sometimes your physician will want to see you in their office prior to scheduling your diagnostic appointment so they can evaluate your breast problem. Mammogram views and, if indicated, ultrasound will be done to evaluate your situation. Your results will be conveyed to you by the radiologist, technologist or nurse before leaving our facility with the opportunity to ask questions or set up future appointments or procedures.

For both the screening and diagnostic exams, you will be asked to arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment time for the admitting process. Once admitted you will be asked to undress above the waist. Please wear a two-piece outfit and do not use any deodorants, powders or creams on your breast or underarms since they can affect the quality of the mammograms. If you have deodorant or powder on we have washcloths available and will ask you to remove it. If your breasts are painful prior or during your menstrual cycle, you may want to avoid scheduling during this time or take an over-the-counter pain medicine before your appointment. Your physicians will receive a report and you will be mailed a patient letter with your results.

Computer aided detection (CAD) is a software program that is used with both screening and diagnostic mammograms. The program is ‘trained” to look for any suspicious areas on the mammography images. After the radiologist reviews the exam, he applies the CAD to the exam. Any areas that are found to be suspicious by the program are marked on the images. This allows the radiologist to re-evaluate these areas.