False-Positive Mammography and Its Association With Health Service Use

OBJECTIVES: A false-positive mammogram can result in anxiety, distress, and increased perceptions of breast cancer risk, potentially changing how women utilize healthcare. This study examined whether having an abnormal mammogram, considered a proxy for elevated risk perception, was associated with greater future health service use (outpatient visits and referrals). STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data, spanning 2008 to 2012, from Boston Medical Center, a safety-net hospital. METHODS: We grouped 3920 women aged 40 to 75 years receiving primary care and who had a mammogram between 2010 and 2011 into 3 categories: false-positive mammogram at index date; previous false positive, but normal index mammogram; and no history of false-positive mammograms. We contrasted the longitudinal changes in outpatient visits and provider referrals, before versus after the index mammogram, between women with false-positive mammogram and those without using Poisson regression models with a difference-in-differences specification. Clinical, visit, and demographic data were obtained from the institutional clinical data warehouse. RESULTS: Adjusting for baseline differences in sociodemographic characteristics across risk groups and for secular changes between pre- and postindex periods, a current false-positive mammogram was associated with an 18% increase in overall outpatient visits (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.18; 95% CI, 1.07-1.51), but no corresponding increase in provider referrals (IRR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.99-1.34), relative to never having a false positive. A previous false-positive mammogram had no associated change in outpatient utilization (IRR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.91-1.07). CONCLUSIONS: Providers should discuss the implications of mammography findings at the time of screening to help mitigate potential detrimental effects and promote appropriate engagement in health services.