Where to Get a Mammogram
Depending on where you live, you may have different options for where to get a mammogram: Hospital radiology departments, breast centers, outpatient imaging centers, and mobile mammography vans all provide high-quality mammograms. Some facilities also offer free or low-cost mammograms to people who are uninsured, underinsured, or who have a low income.
In the United States, a federal law called the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) requires that all mammography facilities undergo annual inspection and meet basic quality standards. You can search for facilities near you that have met these standards or find one by calling the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER.
When you’re looking for a place to get a mammogram, try to choose one that offers 3D mammograms (also known as digital breast tomosynthesis/DBT), if possible. Studies have shown that 3D mammograms can detect more breast cancers earlier, with fewer false positive findings, compared with 2D mammograms. (A false positive is when a mammogram suggests an area of concern that ends up to not be cancer.)
Doctor’s orders
You can ask your primary care doctor or gynecologist to help you find a facility to get a mammogram and for a doctor’s order (or prescription) for a mammogram. You may not need a doctor’s order if you’re 40 or older and getting an annual screening mammogram. But in most other situations — for example, if you’re making an appointment for a diagnostic mammogram (which is used to look at something suspicious) or you’re under 40 — you will. Ask the facility where you’re making an appointment if you need a doctor’s order.
Scheduling a mammogram
Once you’ve found a good place to go for the mammogram, you may want to call the location and talk with the office staff about how best to prepare.
If you’re pregnant and looking into scheduling a mammogram, talk with your doctor first. They may only recommend that you get a mammogram while pregnant if you have symptoms of breast cancer and have already had another imaging test done.
Where to get a free or low-cost mammogram
There are programs and health centers that offer free or low-cost mammograms to people who can’t afford them or don’t have health insurance. Some of these programs have eligibility requirements, which means that you might need to provide proof of financial need and health insurance coverage status.
Insurance coverage
If you have health insurance, you may want to contact your insurance provider before your mammogram and ask if the test is covered and if you’ll have any out-of-pocket costs. Most private and public insurance plans cover the cost of screening mammograms every one to two years for women who are age 40 or older with no out-of-pocket cost (like a co-pay, deductible, or co-insurance).
You may have some out-of-pocket costs if you’re:
under the age of 40 and getting a screening mammogram because you have a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer
getting a diagnostic mammogram
getting a mammogram for other reasons, such as to see how a tumor in the breast is responding to chemotherapy before surgery
It’s also important to know that not all insurance plans in all states cover the full cost of 3D mammograms. Some only cover 2D mammograms. States have different laws about what insurance companies are required to cover and what facilities may charge for mammograms. You may want to check Triage Cancer’s chart of state laws about insurance coverage for screening mammograms.