Lt. Gov. Wyman visits hospital imaging center upon new law limiting breast ultrasound insurance co-payment

July 09, 2014 By Kimberly Gensicki

New Britain [July 09 2014] - Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman recently visited The Hospital of Central Connecticut’s Imaging Center of West Hartford where she met with supporters of a new law that will cap insurance co-payments for breast health ultrasound screenings to no more than $20. 

The June 27 event at Blue Back Square ceremoniously marked the legislation’s passage. On June 6, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law Senate Bill 10, PA 14-97 -- An Act Concerning Copayments for Breast Ultrasound Screenings and Occupational Therapy Services. It is effective Jan. 1, 2015. 

Speakers at the imaging center included Wyman; radiologist Jean Weigert, MD, FACR, HOCC director of Breast Imaging, and president, Radiological Society of Connecticut; State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco Jr.; State Rep. Sandy Nafis; and Nancy Cappello, Ph.D., executive director, Are You Dense, Inc. and Are You Dense Advocacy, Inc. 

“This bill will allow more women with dense breasts the ability to be screened with breast ultrasound, which may find cancers earlier than mammography in this group of patients,” says Weigert. 

Weigert led two studies that show the value of screening breast ultrasound in women with dense breasts, with her initial study prompted by a state law that requires breast density information be included in mammography reports. The first study’s finding indicates a potentially increased ability to diagnose cancers that might not have been seen on screening mammograms alone. The second study reviewed data that demonstrates the ability to continue to find significant numbers of small cancers with screening breast ultrasound in patients with dense breasts. The first study was published in Breast Journal and the second study is slated to be published in the next few months in the same publication. 

The Hospital of Central Connecticut (HOCC) is a 414-bed, 32-bassinet acute care teaching hospital with two campuses, New Britain General and Bradley Memorial in Southington. A member of Hartford HealthCare, HOCC services include emergency, inpatient, surgery, laboratory, outpatient, and radiology. Among specialty areas are cardiovascular care, metabolic health, obstetrics, oncology, orthopedics, and psychiatry/behavioral health. For more information, please visit www.thocc.org; for a physician referral, call 1-800-321-6244.