May 26, 2016 — Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed the Dense Breast Tissue Reporting Senate Bill 157 into law this week, adding to the growing list of density reporting laws across the country. The bill was introduced in the Vermont Legislature by Sen. Joe Benning.
The law requires all healthcare facilities performing mammography examinations to include information identifying the patient’s individual breast tissue classification based on the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). If the patient is determined to have heterogeneously dense or extremely dense breasts, additional information about the impact of dense fibroglandular tissue on cancer detection must also be included.
The bill gives facilities the capacity to update the language in their notices over time to reflect advances in science and technology, provided they continue to inform on the frequency of dense breast tissue and its effects on cancer detection.
The law takes effect on July 1, 2016, and applies to exams on or after Jan. 15, 2017.
For more information: www.densebreast-info.org
April 18, 2024 
