Mammography Imaging Specialists, Inc.
Joanie Wilmot, RT(R)(M)
9995 S.E. Gia Court
Portland, Oregon 97266
misijw@aol.com

Book review for: MQSA Made Easy, Understanding and Implementing the Facility-Based Final Regulations 11th Edition, February 2005 by Bonnie Rush, RT(R)(M)(QM)

MQSA Made Easy delivers as the title indicates. This comprehensive manual takes the sting out of implementing the regulations formulated by the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA). The author, Bonnie Rush, systematically defines every component of the facility-based federal mandates and clarifies the issues to simplify the understanding of the requisites. Information provided in this book is broken down into sections including:

  • Accreditation and certification
  • Personnel requirements
  • Reporting/Recordkeeping
  • Quality assurance
  • Standard operating procedures
  • Equipment specifications
  • Quality control
  • Physicist’s survey
  • Overview of the inspection process
  • Non-compliance levels and much more!

The inclusion of many charts and tables including personnel documentation, physicist involvement in equipment repairs and annual survey summary along with multiple samples for wording of the required standard operating procedures such as the infection control policy, consumer complaint mechanism, and lay letter summaries are invaluable aids to compliance. The author also clearly defines policy mandates including such mandates as the medical outcomes audit and the proper assigning of the assessment categories.

Ms. Rush includes guidance to allow facilities flexibility in meeting the requirements where applicable. For example in complying with the mandates for continuing experience an interpreting physician may count comparison films and a supervising technologist can count exams performed with her during training of another technologist. Tips such as these are detailed throughout the manual leading to an interesting read of what is otherwise an obviously dry subject.

The massive research that has led to Ms Rush’s ability to address and simplify the complex regulatory issues makes this manual an important contribution to the mammography community. It allows us a quick, accurate, thorough and easily understood means to access information necessary to remain in compliance with FDA/MQSA regulatory requirements. MQSA Made Easy really does deliver!

As a mammography consultant and educator, I consider this manual a must for all mammography libraries. Next to my ACR manual, this is my most valuable resource.

By Joanie Wilmot, RT(R)(M)
Co-director, Mammography Imaging Specialists, Inc.