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Express Imaging says county mammogram funding was exhausted annually; provider negotiated rates and pledged extra screenings
Summary
Express Medical Group's CEO said Putnam County historically exhausted state-funded mammogram allocations each year; the provider says it negotiated a per-test cost with the county and will offer additional tests for free once public funds run out, which the CEO credited with improving survival trends.
On The Pulse podcast, Express Medical Group CEO George Castruis described a local problem in which state and federally funded mammogram dollars were exhausted partway through the year, leaving patients waiting months for screening appointments.
"What was happening is Putnam County would get their fee, but the imaging providers were charging so much money. They're exhausting that account. By June, July, there was no money left," Castruis said. He said his team worked with the county health department to set a per-test payment and pledged to provide additional mammograms at no charge when allocated funds were depleted.
Castruis also stated that since Express entered the market the county has moved "into the upper 10th percentile of survival rates." That claim was presented by the provider on the podcast and was not supported with data or an independent source during the episode.
Why it matters: Early detection through mammography can lower mortality from breast cancer, but independent confirmation (health department data or peer-reviewed analysis) would be needed to validate the provider's statement about survival ranking.
What remains unclear: The podcast did not include the county health department or independent public-health officials; no dollar amounts, specific metrics, or dates were provided for the survival-rate claim.
