Every October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month brings attention to breast cancer and the importance of early detection. For primary care practices, it is also an opportunity to focus on an important part of preventive care: making sure patients receive recommended breast cancer screenings.
Identifying patients who are due for screening, helping them complete it, and documenting those results can support both patient care and value-based care goals.
Understanding Current Screening Guidance
Breast cancer screening recommendations have changed over time. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women ages 40 to 74 at average risk receive a mammogram every two years.
Other medical organizations recommend different screening schedules, which is why conversations between patients and their primary care physicians remain important. Shared decision-making allows patients and providers to consider individual risk factors, benefits, and screening preferences.
Research is also exploring whether screening can be more personalized based on factors such as family history, genetics, and breast density. The 2026 WISDOM randomized clinical trial included more than 28,000 women ages 40 to 74 and evaluated whether a risk-based approach could be an alternative to annual mammography.
Why Screening Matters in an ACO
Breast Cancer Screening is included in the quality measures used for Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs. The 2026 CMS measure looks at the percentage of women ages 40 to 74 who had a screening mammogram within the 27 months before the end of the measurement period.
This makes the final months of the year an important opportunity for practices to identify patients who may still be due for screening.
Quality performance is an important part of the Medicare Shared Savings Program, making preventive services like breast cancer screening part of the broader value-based care picture. CMS requires Shared Savings Program ACOs to report the APP Plus quality measure set.
What Practices Can Do This October
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a natural time to review screening workflows and identify opportunities to close open care gaps.
A few practical steps can make a difference:
Review. Identify patients who may be due for screening.
Reach out. Connect with patients who have not completed the recommended screening.
Document. Make sure completed screenings, including those performed outside the practice, are accurately captured.
Follow up. Use care coordination and outreach to help patients complete the next step.
How Advanced Management USA ACO’s Support Preventive Care
In our ACO’s, we believe preventive care is an important part of improving patient outcomes and succeeding in value-based care.
Our support provides participating practices with data, care gap reporting, patient outreach support, and dedicated provider consultants. These resources help practices identify patients who may be due for preventive services and support the workflows needed to close and document those gaps.
The goal is to give independent primary care practices the tools and infrastructure they need to succeed in value-based care while maintaining their independence.
Prevention Happens Year-Round
Breast Cancer Awareness Month may take place in October, but breast cancer screening is a year-round part of preventive care.
Every screening conversation is an opportunity to identify a potential gap, connect a patient with recommended care, and make sure completed services are accurately documented.
For primary care practices, those efforts support what matters most: helping patients receive the right care at the right time.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Screening for Breast Cancer.” Updated September 22, 2026.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. “Final Recommendation Statement: Screening for Breast Cancer.” April 30, 2024.
Esserman, L. J., et al. “Risk-Based vs Annual Breast Cancer Screening: The WISDOM Randomized Clinical Trial.” JAMA, 2026.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “Quality ID #112SSP: Breast Cancer Screening — 2026 Medicare Clinical Quality Measure for Accountable Care Organizations Participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program.”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule — Medicare Shared Savings Program Changes.”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “Program Guidance & Specifications — Shared Savings Program.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Health-Related Social Needs Can Keep Women from Getting Lifesaving Mammograms.”
