The American College of Radiology plans to launch the National Mammography Database (NMD) in July, part of a warehouse of the ACR registry databases.
The mamography data base, the National Radiology Dose Registry's newest database, is designed to enable mammography organizations to compare and contrast practice performance with each other and those in similar fields. By using this database, practices are looking to improve patient care and advance best practices.
“The NMD represents a valuable tool that will allow breast imagers to track their results in a meaningful, comprehensive way,” said Carol Lee, MD, chairwoman of the ACR Commission on Breast Imaging. “It also affords the opportunity for us to set benchmarks and improve our performance where needed. The NMD will allow us in the breast imaging community to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to quality care.”
This new database, specializing in BI-RADS, uses mammography data that is already being collected by other practices. This information, compiled under a federal mandate, will be used as benchmarks for health organizations to measure and compare their operations to standard best-practices.
“The College recognized the limited access mammography facilities have to comparative information for national and regional benchmarking,” said Carl D’Orsi, MD, chairman of the Committee on BI-RADS. “One of the best methods to improve life-saving early breast cancer detection is through a national approach to breast imaging, with data we can only achieve through a unified mammography database.”
These facilities will be enabled to upload their collected data to the NMD via a Web-based platform that has been integrated with BI-RADS partners.
Registered users of the NMD will be sent multiple feedback reports per year. These reports will include information on comparisons to significant medical information and audit benchmarking data.
“The NMD conveniently and accurately produces clinically meaningful mammography audits, with outcomes reported for individual radiologists and for the entire mammography facility, accompanied by comparisons to concurrent benchmark data from similar radiologists, facilities, and the entire U.S.” said Edward Sickles, MD, chairman of the National Mammography Database Committee.
Other ACR registries that participants can use include the National Oncology PET Registry, the General Radiology Improvement Database, and the IV Contrast Extravasation Registry.
