May 6, 2019 — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed breast density inform bill HB62 into law May 3, 2019. The law, which becomes effective July 1, 2019, makes Georgia the 38th state to require healthcare facilities conducting mammograms to provide some form of notification about breast density to patients and referring healthcare providers.
House Bill 62, also known as “Margie’s law,” was introduced through a grassroots advocacy effort led by Margie Singleton, of Savannah, Ga. Singleton was diagnosed with a breast cancer that was missed by screening mammography because she has dense breast tissue.
“I applaud Margie Singleton and the many dedicated advocates and legislators who worked to turn this law into a reality,” said JoAnn Pushkin, executive director of DenseBreast-info.org. “With its passage, over 90 percent of American women now receive some form of communication about breast density after their mammograms. This information will result in more informed discussions with their health care providers about whether supplemental screening might be beneficial.”
At this time, there are no states with pending density inform legislation. The District of Columbia received congressional approval for its law in March 2019.
Proposed changes to the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) that would establish national minimal standards for breast density notification were issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on March 28, 2019 in the form of an amendment. DB-I is analyzing the proposed language and will be submitting comments to the FDA during the designated “open for public comment” period which concludes June 26, 2019. The final amendment will be published following review of the comments and it will become effective eighteen months following approval. Once the new standard is introduced, it is expected that individual state law review will be necessary.
DenseBreast-Info.org features a U.S. map showing the status of breast density inform legislation in every state.
Watch the VIDEO: A Discussion on Proposed FDA Rules for Mammography Reporting, chief scientific advisor to DenseBreast-Info.org at the 2019 Society of Breast Imaging/American College of Radiology (SBI/ACR) Breast Imaging Symposium.
For more information: www.densebreast-info.org
