Andrea's take: We hear about breast cancer awareness, but are we really "listening" and understanding what we can or need to do?  I hope to share my passion for awareness and make it contagious so that others realize we need to bring the newest technology, research and development to the women (and men) facing breast cancer. Hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities that perform mammography must offer premier care.

We also need to bring education to everyone; not only via national groups but through the media-including the infectious vehicle of television-to make breast health something we can fight and win together.

I invite more dedicated radiologists and technologists back to breast health to see the major changes mammography has achieved and the rewarding results for all involved. We can beat the medical-legal system but need to do so as a united force. I also speak to the manufacturers: Make the outstanding technology you provide financially accessible for all hospitals, clinics and breast centers. Provide the education, service and tools for customer satisfaction that should accompany the outstanding costs. Support the fight for higher Medical reimbursement, which would help all of us win the fight for early breast cancer awareness.

Jerry's take: We now have clear evidence that breast imaging can reduce both the mortality and the morbidity of breast cancer. New technologies are being developed that will further improve the ability of imaging to discover the disease earlier, when it is far more treatable. Against these trends, however, we find patient access to care diminishing, reimbursement remaining challenging and the supply of subspecialized breast radiologists continuing to fail to keep pace with need. This blog can't solve all the problems, but it can examine the issues and force the reader to think. In fact, that is the goal of the blog-to stimulate intellectual discourse about difficult issues in the search for better health for women.

From technology to reimbursement to our patients and their needs, everything in breast imaging is in a state of change. This blog is the enemy of mediocrity; it's intended to provoke thought and serve as a call to action. It may even make the reader uncomfortable. It is dedicated to women everywhere.

Gerald R. Kolb, JD, is the chief knowledge officer of Solis Women’s Health, Austin, Texas, a rapidly growing company that is dedicated to only one thing—excellence in screening for and diagnosing breast disease. Jerry leads Solis in maximizing return on its investment in knowledge—people, processes and technology—and ensures that knowledge-sharing across the company remains one of its core competencies as the company expands to a national presence. From training in accounting and law, through careers in law, finance, health care administration and, finally, 12 years of providing consulting to breast centers, his experiences have fully prepared him for exactly what he’s doing now. “I’m passionate about everything in my life, and consider every day that I have on this planet to be a gift that I repay through my work,” Jerry says.

Andrea Harley, RT (R)(M), a registered mammographer, earned an associate degree of radiological science from Gannon University in Erie, Pa. She’s been dedicated exclusively to mammography since the early ‘80s, with career highlights that include a management role in development of a breast center and a clinical application specialist with two leading mammography manufacturers. Andrea has spent the last 12 years employed by a major women’s imaging company as a product sales specialist; holding an active role in the R&D for the release of a full-field digital mammography product.

She currently is a digital mammography consultant at ABC’s of Digital Mammography LLC, Fort Myers, Fla., addressing the workflow challenges of digital conversion between the mammographers and radiologists and other personnel within the workplace. She supports customers in the pre- and post-planning stages of conversion and assists digital customers with CEU requirements for technologists. Andrea is actively involved in various mammography organizations and continuing education programs to promote the focus and education of women’s health care and its future.

In her free time, Andrea is an avid NFL football fan—especially of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Living in sunny Florida, she also enjoys playing golf but warns, “I dress the game better than I play!”