Delivering Better Mammograms, One Partnership at a Time

By Raina Keefer, contributing writer, ACR Press

The ACR Learning Network’s ImPower Program is redefining how radiology practices approach quality improvement, particularly in mammography. By bringing together clinical teams and innovative vendors like Densitas, ImPower provides the structure, data, and collaborative framework needed to elevate image quality and, ultimately, patient care.

Suboptimal mammography positioning is one of the leading causes of technically inadequate mammograms and potential missed cancers. A single-institution study found that only 67% of images met ACR positioning criteria. To address this critical gap, the ImPower program launched the Mammography Positioning Improvement Collaborative, a structured, multicenter initiative within the ACR Learning Network. The collaborative helps participating sites assess their current state, identify key drivers of positioning variability and implement sustainable improvements. Ultimately, this can result in earlier and more accurate breast cancer detection.

One participating team, Mount Sinai Health System, demonstrates how vendor-clinician partnerships, paired with ImPower’s structured methodology, can drive measurable improvements in breast cancer screening.

Building Consistency Through AI and Collaboration

Mount Sinai Health System faced the challenge of standardizing mammography quality across more than a dozen facilities. By working with Densitas and its AI-powered platform intelliMammo, Mount Sinai transitioned from manually reviewing a small sample of images each week to automatically analyzing every mammogram performed across the health system.

 

“IntelliMammo allows us to identify patterns and areas for improvement immediately, at the point of care, rather than weeks later,” says Laurie R. Margolies, MD, FACR, FSBI, vice chair for breast imaging at Mount Sinai. “It’s about giving our technologists objective, reproducible feedback that helps them deliver the best possible mammogram every time.”

For Densitas, participating in ImPower provided direct insight into clinical workflows — information essential for refining their product to fit seamlessly into busy imaging departments. “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” says Mo Abdolell, CEO of Densitas. “ImPower validated the need for standardized, automated data collection and gave us an opportunity to see how our technology could support quality goals at every level of the organization.”

Although more than 95% of Mount Sinai’s exams met the major ACR positioning criteria prior to beginning this project, the team used the ImPower program to focus on improving minor positioning criteria. Using the Densitas database of mammographic images, they reviewed a tableau of cases and discussed what met, partially met, or did not meet criteria. Staff technologists also had the opportunity to categorize images from the Densitas case portfolio using the same standards.

“You must be incredibly supportive of the technologist in a very positive way, so you can teach and educate in a way they understand that they are really doing phenomenal,” says Margolies. “But we want phenomenal plus, and we want our patients to get the absolute best mammogram that they could possibly get every single time. Working together with Densitas, with the team, we learned how to better engage the technologists.”

Looking Ahead: Sustaining Excellence

Achieving ACR Learning Network Vendor Partner status represents more than recognition for Densitas — it reflects a shared commitment to advancing mammography quality across the industry.

“Quality improvement has always been part of our corporate DNA,” says Abdolell. “We wanted to deliver not just AI results but to create a flexible and practical set of workflows that could help Dr. Margolies and her team achieve their goals and reimagine and re-engineer their quality processes.”

As breast cancer screening continues to evolve, the ACR ImPower Program and the Mammography Positioning Improvement Collaborative stand out as catalysts for change — bringing together people, processes, and technology to ensure patients receive the highest standard of care.