MAMMOGRAPHY
SECTION
(Mammography Quality Standards Act)
Ramona Chambus, Supervisor
INTRODUCTION
The
Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) is a Federal law
(42 USC 263b) that was enacted on October 27, 1992. MQSA
sets standards for mammography facilities which include
requirements in the following areas:
- Equipment performance
(including image quality and dose)
- Technologist
and physicist quality control/quality assurance tests
and tasks
- Medical audit
and outcome analysis records
- Medical records
(mammography reports and films)
- Personnel qualifications
and records
The
MQSA program is administered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's
(FDA) Division of Mammography Quality and Radiation Programs.
MQSA requires mammography facilities to have accreditation
from an approved accreditation body and be certified by
the FDA. All mammography facilities must be inspected
annually.
The
Mammography Section of the Bureau of Radiological Health
has a contract with the FDA to inspect the mammography facilities
in New Jersey. The MQSA inspectors must be certified by
the FDA. The certified inspectors have six weeks of training
and must pass written and practical examinations. New Jersey
has five certified MQSA inspectors.
MQSA
requires that mammography facilities have a quality assurance/quality
control program and that qualified personnel establish,
monitor, and direct the program. Additionally, a qualified
medical physicist must perform an annual survey of the mammography
facility to assure that the quality control and machine
standards are being met.
In 1993,
New Jersey established qualifications for individuals performing
QA/QC in mammography facilities. In addition to meeting
New Jersey requirements for supervision of quality assurance
programs for diagnostic x-ray imaging, medical physicists
must also meet MQSA requirements.
MQSA Personnel
Requirements
Interpreting Physician initial requirements are:
- Must be State
licensed to practice medicine; and
- Must be certified
by the the American Board of Radiology (ABR), the American
Osteopathic Board of Radiology (AOBR), or the Royal
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)
in diagnostic radiology; or have 3 months of documented
formal training in interpreting mammograms; and
- Must have 60
hours of documented medical education in mammography.
Radiologic Technologist initial requirements are:
- Must be State
licensed (please visit the Technologist Certification Section
for information on becoming licensed); and
- Must have completed
at least 40 contact hours of documented training specific
to mammography under the direct supervision of a qualified
instructor.
Medical Physicist initial requirements are:
- Must be certified
by the state; and
- Must have a
master's degree or higher in a physical science from
an accredited institution, including at least 20 semester
hours or equivalent of college undergraduate or graduate-level
physics; and
- Must have 20
hours of documented specialized training in conducting
surveys of mammography facilities; and
- Must have the
experience of conducting surveys of at least one mammography
facility and a total of at least 10 mammography units.
NOTE:
Medical physicists must meet the qualifications for
a qualified medical physicist for the supervision of quality
assurance programs for diagnostic x-ray equipment (N.J.A.C.
15.2). To obtain a list of qualified medical physicists
who meet New Jersey requirements, please call our office
at (609) 984-5359.
All
mammography personnel qualifications are evaluated during
the facility's annual inspection. If you have questions
concerning personnel qualifications, please call our office
at (609) 984-5359.
NOTE: The personnel requirements listed above
are initial requirements ONLY. All qualified mammography
personnel must comply with continuing education and experience
requirements.
Annually, the Radiation
Protection Program coordinates a team of runners/walkers
that participates in the New Jersey Susan G. Komen Race
for the Cure event. For more information visit the
Komen site.
Links
to Other Mammography Information Sources
Please
read this Disclaimer prior
to connecting to these websites.
Who
should have a mammogram? The American Cancer Society
(ACS) recommends the
following guidelines for women:
- If you
are age 40 or older, mammograms should be done every
year.
- Get yearly
breast exams by your Health Care Provider.
- Perform
monthly breast self-examinations.
If you
do not have insurance and cannot afford a mammogram, the
New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection (NJCEED) may be able
to help. Please visit their site for further information.
The FDA currently maintains a listing of certified mammography
facilities in your area at its Internet site. Please
visit FDA's
Mammography homepage to obtain this listing.
