nsequences of her actions once a diagnosis has been made, and be advised of all counseling and support services available to her.
The use of case management has been shown in controlled clinical trials to improve follow-up, educate patients, provide interactive counseling, monitor and remind patients, and effectively improve compliance and patient care in low-income medically underserved populations (The Screening, 2003). This involves integrating case management services; computerizing appointments and tracking services; assessment to assign different levels of followup; maintaining lines of communication; counseling and referral to community based services for women with special needs; and adequate training of case managers by supervisory staff within clinic programs.
The CDC states that many breast cancer deaths could be avoided by increasing cancer screening rates among women at risk (Cancer, 2006). Breast cancer screening rates in general in the U.S. are 70 percent, but while the rate is roughly 71 percent for White women, it is 68 percent for African American women, and drops to 61 percent for Hispanic or Latino women, 59 percent for Asian women, and 52 percent for American Indian or Alaskan Native women. Among uninsured women, the rate is only 38 percent, and only 35 percent of those with no regular source of health care reported having had a mammogram in the past two years.
Medicare, for those who have it, covers one mammogram every 12 months for women over age 40, and one baseline mammogram for women between the ages of 35 to 39 (Preventive, 2005). The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends women over age 40 have a screening mammogram every one to two years (Screening, 2002). While there is no way to prevent breast cancer, early detection provides the best chance for survival. The USPSTF found that there is reasonable evidence that mammography every 12 to 33 months significantly reduces ...