Two new mammogram machines will be coming online in the near future in Guelph, which will help to alleviate the current three-week backlog for area women seeking mammograms.
Guelph General Hospital can usually see patients seeking non-urgent mammograms within a week, said Marianne Walker, president and CEO of Guelph General Hospital (GGH). Recently, that wait has increased to three weeks.
“We found about a month ago or so that there was an increase in the amount of mammograms that women were asking for,” said Walker. “This is worrisome for women, so we added more time so we could get rid of the backlog.”
The hospital will continue seeing patients who need urgent mammograms within one day, she said.
“We were performing about 17 per day, now have increased that to 34 per day and we added some more time and another day,” said Walker.
Walker said the backlog was due, in part, to an increase in the number of referrals from Guelph Medical Imaging (GMI).
Reached Monday, Probhash Mondal, CEO of GMI, said the clinic’s new mammography machine has been offline because of needed electricity upgrades in its newly-opened facility on Cardigan Street.
“I insisted to buy half-dose mammography machines and we are not able to run those without three-phase electricity,” said Mondal. “Guelph Hydro has worked diligently with us to get (three-phase electricity) in there, but were not able to run the mammography machines.”
Mondal said in the meantime, patients with need for urgent mammography were referred to Guelph General Hospital.
The clinic’s lower-dose mammography machine will be up and running by Wednesday, said Mondal.
Walker said GGH will also soon be offering lower-dose mammography when its new machine goes online next month. It will also be able to provide breast tomosynthesis, also called three-dimensional mammography.
“Where the clinicians and radiologists are excited is it’s going to be able to to provide slices,” said Walker. “It really helps them pinpoint where they need to do the biopsy.”
Starting in July 2016, GGH has been conducting what it calls its 'breast assessment centre' every Wednesday, a comprehensive program which reduces the multiple appointments required for high risk and high concern patients..
“If a woman already has an abnormal mammogram or feels a lump or has another concern, they come in on Wednesday and all at once they have the mammogram, the ultrasound and biopsy in one visit,” said Walker.
Many women don't realize the hospital offers the program, said Walker.
“This is something we do and we do very well," said Walker.
GMI will begin working to clear its backlog of scans starting Wednesday, said Mondal. The clinic will be able to do up to 150 mammograms per day with its new machine.
