The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) has submitted comments in response to the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Draft Research Plan (DRP) for Breast Cancer Screening.
Reflecting input from the ACR Committee on Government Relations – Breast Imaging, Breast Imaging Commission and the Screening Leaders Group, the comments provide feedback to the task force on its proposed analytic framework, key research questions, contextual questions, study design and research approach. They also suggest several research papers that provide insights into important issues that should be considered as part of the development of screening recommendations.
The comments also encourage greater transparency in USPSTF’s processes and urge that breast imaging experts be included throughout the Task Force’s development of its recommendations, noting that with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the USPSTF was explicitly granted a prominent role in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ coverage decisions and in the establishment of preventive service coverage requirements for private insurers. “With such substantive policy issues at stake,” the comments stated, “the public trust demands that the USPSTF recommendation-development process be entirely transparent, consistent with other federal agencies that create policy and promulgate regulations.”
Comments on the DRP continue to be accepted through Feb. 17, 2021.