Legislation to Expand Preventative Care for Breast Cancer Now in Effect
PHOENIX, Arizona
— For Christina Ferraro, MD — a breast radiologist at Valleywise Health — Arizona's outdated breast cancer screening statutes were a serious concern. Since the widespread implementation of mammography and its latest technology, breast cancer mortality rates have fallen by nearly 40% in the United States. However, as technology propelled forward, Arizona's state laws and statutes stagnated.
"My patients' access to breast cancer screening was being threatened by outdated laws and statutes that had not tracked with the latest screening technology and recommendations,” shared Dr. Ferraro. "These stale laws were, in turn, enabling insurance companies to deny screening coverage to women who needed it. This perpetuates a cycle of poor access, which leads to late diagnoses, strains on our systems, clinician burnout, and, most importantly, poor health outcomes. Updating state statutes to avoid these outcomes seemed relatively straightforward and like something everyone could get behind. So, I spoke up."
Striving to improve health outcomes for her patients, Dr. Ferraro contacted the
Arizona Medical Association, the state's largest physician-led organization advocating for Arizona patients and the communities we serve. Together, ArMA and Dr. Ferraro drafted
Senate Bill 1601, a legislative measure to resolve the negative consequences of Arizona's dated state laws. During the 2023 Legislative Session, S.B. 1601 was sponsored by Senator Janae Shamp and made its way through the Arizona State Legislature, where its passage received broad, bipartisan support. On May 9, 2023, the historic measure was signed into law by Governor Katie Hobbs.
Through Dr. Ferraro's grassroots advocacy, the latest mammography technology, tomosynthesis, has been added to the definition of mammography in the state's breast cancer screening statute. Now, this innovative, widely adopted technology will be covered by insurance for all Arizonans.
The accuracy and clarity of tomosynthesis's 3-D imaging enable physicians to detect cancer early and decisively, thereby reducing callbacks. For patients, this means expedited answers about whether the mammogram in question is a life completely altered.
S.B. 1601 will also require insurers to cover screening for both average-risk and high-risk women at ages and intervals suggested by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's latest recommendations, which are informed by experts from more than two dozen leading cancer centers in the U.S.
"One out of eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetime," stated Libby McDannell, CEO of ArMA, in an
interview with Arizona PBS. "And, in the United States alone, more than 42,000 women die from breast cancer each year. We need to make sure the research is where it needs to be, but we also know that coverage and screening are important diagnostic tools for preventing as many deaths as possible. Now, [through S.B. 1601,] insurers are mandated to cover [tomosynthesis] at 100% of the cost, so it's no cost to patients.”
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, ArMA celebrates S.B. 1601's success at increasing patients' access to preventative care, including the latest breast cancer screening technology.
Monday, October 30, 2023, marks Arizona's General Effective Date, when hundreds of bills passed by the Arizona State Legislature and signed by Governor Hobbs officially go into effect, including S.B. 1601.
About Christina Ferraro, MD
Christina Ferraro, MD, is a practicing breast radiologist at Valleywise Health in Phoenix, Arizona. She is also an assistant professor at the Creighton University School of Medicine and the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. After graduating from Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. Ferraro completed her radiology residency at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix. She then went on to complete a breast imaging fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. Dr. Ferraro is passionate about serving the underserved and teaching radiology residents and medical students.
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