Modality guide
Mammography carries its own comparison and qualification rules
A screening mammogram is read against prior mammograms, so a study that arrives without its comparisons is not the examination the facility ordered. Reader qualification and the assessment language of the report are settled before any study moves. This guide presents both as facility obligations.
At a glance
What a facility should define
- Mammography uses low-dose ionizing radiation
- Educational workflow guide only: inclusion does not establish that DLA Imaging currently interprets Mammography.
- No modality-specific turnaround commitment is published; any service level exists only in a signed facility agreement.
What does Mammography show?
Dedicated breast images; may be paired with ultrasound or MRI when clinically selected
What a given study can answer depends on the protocol, the body region, whether the comparison studies came with it, and the clinical context the ordering team supplies. A study that arrives without that record narrows the question before anyone opens it.
Which reading area may be involved?
Breast imaging and women’s imaging
Routing is not decided by the modality name. A study of the head and a study of the abdomen do not go to the same place even when the order says the same thing. Anatomy, the clinical question, urgency, who is eligible to read for that facility, and the contracted scope all sit in front of the assignment.
What should a facility define?
Define protocols, required clinical context, prior-study access, urgency labels, report destinations, critical-result contacts, and downtime routing before go-live.
Typical examination context includes Screening, diagnostic evaluation, and image-guided follow-up selected by the care team. Those examples are educational, not ordering advice; the ordering clinician chooses the study and protocol.
Mammography interpretation carries per-physician qualification requirements, and the facility confirms that every reader assigned to its breast studies meets them before a study is routed. Confirm as well that reports use the BI-RADS assessment categories, since that framework is what the referring clinicians, the tracking system, and any audit process expect, and agree on how prior mammograms reach the reader for comparison.
How long does the examination or report take?
Varies by screening or diagnostic protocol.
Acquisition time and reporting time are two different clocks, and two different parties hold them. A facility that wants a reporting commitment should define the event that starts the clock, the event that stops it, and what happens when a study arrives incomplete. This page publishes no numerical commitment.
FAQ
Common questions
What is Mammography and breast imaging?
Dedicated breast images; may be paired with ultrasound or MRI when clinically selected
Does it use radiation?
Mammography uses low-dose ionizing radiation
How long does the exam take?
Varies by screening or diagnostic protocol
Who decides whether this is the right exam?
The ordering clinician selects the exam and protocol in the patient’s clinical context.
Can images be uploaded here?
No. The public site does not receive images, orders, reports, or patient information.
How are prior studies handled?
Authorized priors should follow the facility’s approved comparison workflow.
Is a turnaround time guaranteed?
Only a signed service agreement can define a turnaround commitment; this page does not.
Where does the report go?
It returns through the delivery route established with the facility and ordering care team.
Where DLA Imaging provides reading services under a facility agreement, reports return through the ordering care team’s established workflow. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnoses, or emergency services.