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March 19, 2024 Clouds | 33°F
The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

AN ACT RELATIVE TO BREAST CANCER EARLY DETECTION

     Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:
     SECTION 1. Subsection (b) of section 5Q of chapter 111 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-
     Every provider of mammography services shall, if a patient’s mammogram reveals dense breast tissue, as determined by the interpreting physician based on standards promulgated by the American College of Radiology, provide written notification to the patient, in terms easily understood by a lay person. The notification shall include, at minimum, the following information:
     (1)  that the patient’s mammogram shows dense breast tissue;
     (2)  that the degree of density apparent and an explanation of that degree of density;
     (3)  that dense breast tissue is common and not abnormal but that dense breast tissue may increase the risk of breast cancer;
     (4)  that dense breast tissue can make it more difficult to find cancer on a mammogram and that additional testing may be needed for reliable breast cancer screening;
     (5)  that additional screening may be advisable and that the patient should discuss the results of the mammogram with the patient’s referring physician or primary care physician;
     (6)  that the patient has the right to discuss the results of the patient’s mammogram with the interpreting radiologist or the referring physician;
     (7)  that a report of the patient’s mammogram has been sent to the referring physician and will become part of the patient’s medical record; and
     (8)  where the patient can find additional information about dense breast tissue.
     SECTION 2.  The department of public health shall promulgate regulations to implement the second paragraph of subsection (b) of section 5Q of chapter 111 of the General Laws by January 1, 2015.

Approved, June 26, 2014.