The Advantages and Disadvantages of Same-Day Breast Imaging Services: Clinical Review, Implications, and Future Directions

Combining patient services into fewer clinical visits has been increasingly explored across medical specialties as more attention is given to patient-centered care, patient access, and care delivery efficiency from health enterprises. The typical breast imaging care model requires multiple clinical visits to achieve a final diagnosis and, therefore, might be optimized to perform 2 or more steps in the process in 1 patient clinical visit. Recent studies suggest that this model can mitigate patient disparities in timeliness of care, improve patient satisfaction, and even improve patient adherence. Despite the potential benefits, there is variability in the use of same-day services across breast imaging facilities because of various local/institutional level barriers, staffing limitations, and concerns about interpreting examinations in real time. In this review, we describe the various same-day models that have been reported in the breast imaging literature, discuss their impact, and present evidence that may support further adoption of these care models. We also explore the barriers and limitations to this model and future directions of same-day services.