Streamlining breast disease management.

New technology has been developed for performing percutaneous (non-surgical) breast biopsy and tracking the outcome of breast disease patients. The procedure, mammotomy, takes a biopsy of breast tissue lesions quickly during the same office visit at which the screening mammography discovers an abnormality. Because the procedure is non-invasive, it bypasses the extra time and expense of open surgical biopsies. In conjunction with mammotomy, Breast Cancer Manager (BCM) software is intended to streamline breast care data management. These technologies provide the cornerstone of a comprehensive breast health plan that can streamline patient care across specialties. This plan uses an organ-based, multispecialty coalition of practitioners related to the diagnosis and treatment of breast disease. The BCM software provides a central, complete record of all care given to a patient from the first screening mammogram through surgery and adjuvant therapy. All practitioners will have access to its information and at the same time be able to add to it, making it the repository of patient and practice data for management analysis and outcomes reporting. This article looks at the treatment paradigm of breast disease and details the potential cost savings made possible by mammotomy and the BCM software.