Digital mammography is providing a strong return on investment for healthcare providers, according to a new KLAS report.

KLAS, an Orem, Utah-based research and marketing firm, interviewed more than 200 healthcare professionals about their use of full-field digital mammography (FFDM) solutions. According to the FDA, roughly half of the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA)-certified facilities in the United States have now adopted digital mammography equipment.

The KLAS report shows many of those who have made the switch to FFDM systems have increased their capacity for patient throughput, leading to a strong ROI for the new technology.

"When used in conjunction with complementary technologies, in a prepared environment and with a staff committed to digital workflows, digital mammography is a definite win," said Ben Brown, KLAS' general manager of imaging informatics and author of the mammography study. "The transition does usually require both the technician and the physician to restructure their workflow, a process that reportedly can take several months, but most providers find that the efficiency gains outweigh the learning curve."

"Before we were digital, we had a one-year backlog of mammo exams. Now that we have digital mammo coupled with modern scheduling and a PACS, we can schedule patients the same day for diagnostic exams," stated one provider executive in the report. "For routine screenings, we can schedule patients within a week. In the past, we were losing business when we had the one-year backlog, but now things are so much more efficient."

KLAS rated four vendors in its report, with Hologic's Selenia system earning the top performance score (88.3 out of 100) over GE Healthcare's Senographe Essential (88.0). The other vendor products rated in the report are FUJIFILM's Aspire ClearView-CSm and Siemens Healthcare's MAMMOMAT NovationDR.

According to the report, vendors such as Agfa, Carestream, Konica, Philips, Sectra and others are poised to join the digital mammography market in North America, pending FDA approval and subsequent expansion into the United States.