[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 72 (Wednesday, June 5, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S5054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. MIKULSKI (for herself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Gregg, 
        Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Hutchison, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Boxer, 
        Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Landrieu, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Clinton, and 
        Mrs. Carnahan):
  S. 2591. A bill to reauthorize the Mammography Quality Standards Act, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the 
Mammography Quality Standards Reauthorization Act of 2002. This 
important bipartisan bill will continue a valuable program that helps 
save women's lives. I am proud that my good friend, Senator Snowe, and 
other colleagues have joined on a bipartisan basis to introduce this 
legislation.
  Mammography is not perfect, but it is the best screening tool we have 
now. Mammograms must be as safe and accurate as possible. A mammogram 
is worse than useless if it produces a poor-quality image or is 
misinterpreted. That's why I have fought over the last 10 years to make 
them even better.
  The Mammography Quality Standards Act, MQSA, that I authored has 
improved the quality of mammograms in this country over the last 10 
years. MQSA has brought facilities nationwide into compliance with 
Federal quality standards. Before MQSA, tests were misread, women were 
misdiagnosed, and people died as a result of sloppy work. This year 
Congress must reauthorize the Mammography Quality Standards Act, 
because women must continue to have safe, quality mammograms. Until 
there are more effective screening tools, mammography is still the 
front line against breast cancer.
  Ten years ago before the Mammography Quality Standards Act, MQSA, 
first became law, there was an uneven patchwork of standards for 
mammography in this country. Image quality of mammograms varied widely. 
The first rule of all medical treatment is: Above all things, do no 
harm. And a bad mammogram can do real harm by leading a woman and her 
doctor to believe that nothing is wrong when something is. The result 
can be unnecessary suffering or even a death that could have been 
prevented. That is why this legislation is so important.
  What MQSA does is require that all facilities that provide mammograms 
meet key safety and quality-assurance standards in the area of 
personnel, equipment, and operating procedures. Before the law passed, 
tests were misread, women were misdiagnosed, and people died as a 
result of sloppy work. Since 1992, MQSA has been successful in raising 
the quality of mammography services that women receive.
  What are these national, uniform quality standards for mammography? 
Well, facilities are required to use equipment designed specifically 
for mammography. Only radiological technologists can perform 
mammography. Only qualified doctors can interpret the results of 
mammography. Facilities must establish a quality assurance and control 
program to ensure reliability, clarity and accurate interpretation of 
mammograms. Facilities must be inspected annually by qualified 
inspectors. Finally, facilities must be accredited by an accrediting 
body approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
  MQSA also ensures that women receive direct written notification of 
their mammogram results. Women will not assume that ``no news is good 
news'' when this is not always the case. They know what their results 
are, so that they can get any follow up care they need.
  The bill that I am introducing today extends the successful MQSA 
program for another five years. It also allows the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services to issue a temporary certificate to a mammography 
facility if certain conditions have prevented the facility from 
completing the reaccreditation process before its certificate expires. 
What does this mean? If a facility acquires new mammography equipment 
and this prevents the facility from meeting reaccreditation time 
frames, the facility could get a temporary certificate that would allow 
it to continue to perform mammograms for up to 45 days. The temporary 
certificate can only be issued if the facility's accreditation body has 
issued a 45-day accreditation extension. This will provide protection 
in the law, so that in certain circumstances a mammography facility 
will not have to close its doors when its certificate expires before it 
is reaccredited.
  This bill also brings to bear the expertise of the Institute of 
Medicine and the General Accounting Office to further improve MQSA and 
provide Congress with expert recommendations to consider during the 
next reauthorization of MQSA.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to reauthorize this 
important program this year. Last year, an estimated 192,200 women were 
diagnosed with breast cancer in this country and about 39,600 women 
died from breast cancer. Early detection and treatment are essential to 
reducing breast cancer deaths. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this 
important bill, and I look forward to its enactment this year.
                                 ______