A Pink Bus, Mobile Mammography And The Fight Against Cancer
Private equity expands access to life-saving breast cancer screenings, writes Pamela Hendrickson of the Riverside Company.
To mark the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Pam Hendrickson, Vice Chairman of The Riverside Company and Chair of the American Investment Council’s Board of Directors, authored an op-ed in PE Hub yesterday on how private equity expands access to life-saving breast cancer screenings nationwide.
Read the full op-ed in PE Hub here and below:
PE Hub: A Pink Bus, Mobile Mammography And The Fight Against Cancer
By: Pam Hendrickson | October 30, 2024
Every October, we recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month – a time to educate the public about the disease and equip women with the tools they need to protect their health.
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women, and regular screenings are crucial for early detection.
Private equity plays a significant role in supporting these efforts by investing in radiology centers across the country. These centers provide vital access to mammography services, which use X-ray images of the breasts to identify potential cancers.
In a recent interview with Punchbowl News, Dr. Robert Mittl Jr., a neuroradiologist at Charlotte Radiology, explained how private equity investment has been instrumental in expanding their mammography services.
“Since we formed U.S. Radiology and had our investment partner join us, we’ve opened three new mammography centers,” he said. The practice now has 17 breast centers and a mobile mammography van – a large pink bus that provides screenings across the Charlotte area. The company also has seven imaging centers, and in total, provides over a million and half radiology exams a year.
Dr. Mittl described the typical mammography process: patients receive results within a few days, and while most receive an “all clear” letter, sometimes the radiologist will ask the patient to return for additional evaluation.
The goal, Dr. Mittl explained, is to maximize cancer detection while minimizing unnecessary callbacks.
At U.S. Radiology, they perform over 500,000 screening mammograms annually. “Our data consistently shows that we outperform the average practice in both cancer detection and minimizing false positive callbacks,” he said.
This means they find more cancers, especially small, early-stage cancers, while reducing the anxiety, cost, and potential discomfort of unnecessary procedures for women.
And patients are clearly satisfied with the quality of care. Patient satisfaction ratings across U.S. Radiology are 97%, and at Charlotte Radiology in particular, 98% satisfied. “That is the envy of any healthcare entity,” he said.
U.S. Radiology’s commitment extends beyond clinical excellence to community engagement. They have a long-standing partnership with Levine Cancer Institute to offer free screening mammograms to uninsured and underinsured women in Charlotte, a population often lacking access to regular screenings. As a result, they detect a higher rate of cancers in this underserved group.
“You may have seen our big pink bus. We bring it around to areas of the community so it’s easy for people to come in and get these things done,” Dr. Mittl said. “This has been supported and grown with our private equity partner. It is part of our mission, which they embrace.”
As technology advances, continued investment in radiology centers will be essential to ensuring that everyone has access to the most effective tools to fight cancer of all forms. The private equity industry is proud to partner with U.S. Radiology and healthcare companies across the nation advancing new treatments and providing life-saving care.
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Pam Hendrickson is the Vice Chairman of The Riverside Company and Chair of the American Investment Council’s Board of Directors
