As a further evaluation facility repeat rates can be compared to national repeat
rates. When doing these comparisons it is important to remember that rates may
vary from the national rates due to the structure of the facility’s film analysis. For
mammography, the ACR recommends that the repeat rate be less than 5%.7 This
is consistent with the overall national repeat rate for radiographic films, including
mammography.8,9,10,11 Repeat rate should not be construed as a measure of overall
institutional quality. Facilities where radiologists are lax in demanding high
quality images can have very low repeat rates.
Although not considered repeat films, a facility may want to evaluate extra
films requested by the referring physician and the reason for those films.
Evaluation of extra films may indicate a need to re-evaluate a facility’s standard
procedure protocols. In addition, evaluation of the amount of green or clear film
may help in an overall film cost reduction for the facility.