Recovery of Screening Mammogram Cancellations During COVID-19

Abstract

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Society of Breast Surgeons and American College of Radiology released a joint statement recommending that all breast screening studies be postponed effective March 26, 2020. Study Design: A retrospective review of all canceled mammograms at a single tertiary care institution from January 1-August 31, 2020 was performed to evaluate the effect of this recommendation by quantifying both the number and reason for mammogram cancellations before and after March 26, 2020. Utilization of the electronic patient portal for appointment cancellation as a surrogate for telehealth uptake was noted. Results: During the study period, 5340 mammogram appointments were kept and 2784 mammogram appointments were canceled. From a baseline of 30 (10.8%) canceled mammograms in January, cancellations peaked in March (576, 20.6%) and gradually decreased to a low in August (197, 7%). Reasons for cancellations varied significantly by month (P