Birmingham OB/Gyn, in partnership with Onsite Women's Health, has launched Mammo with Heart, a screening program that uses artificial intelligence to detect breast arterial calcifications (BAC) during routine mammography. The program offers women and their providers additional insight into cardiovascular risk without extra imaging, radiation, or appointments, addressing the leading cause of death among women across Central Alabama.
According to the Alabama Public Health Community Health Profiles 2023, heart disease mortality rates range from 152.0 deaths per 100,000 women in Tuscaloosa County to 503.4 per 100,000 in Walker County across Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, St. Clair, Walker, and Tuscaloosa Counties. “Women trust their OB/Gyn for preventive care throughout their lives,” said Ashley Przybysz, M.D., of Birmingham OB/Gyn. “This program allows us to provide even more value from a screening test women are already receiving. By identifying potential cardiovascular risk earlier, we can help patients have important conversations with their healthcare providers before serious cardiovascular disease develops.”
The program utilizes FDA-cleared CureMetrix cmAngio technology to analyze mammography images for BAC, which research has shown may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk and can serve as an opportunity for earlier risk assessment and prevention. Breast arterial calcifications are present in approximately 12% to 42.5% of screening mammograms, yet historically many of these findings have not been routinely reported. As part of the initiative, Birmingham OB/Gyn is developing a coordinated cardiovascular care pathway with Alabama Cardiovascular Group (ACG), an affiliate of Grandview Health, to ensure women identified as having elevated risk have access to timely specialty evaluation and preventive care when appropriate.
“For many women, their OB/Gyn is the healthcare provider they see most consistently,” said David Carmichael, CEO of Birmingham OB/Gyn. “This program gives us an opportunity to identify cardiovascular risk earlier and connect patients with appropriate preventive care before heart disease develops.” Birmingham OB/Gyn performs more than 8,400 screening mammograms annually and delivered babies for families residing in 28 Alabama counties in the past year. Mammo with Heart is now available to patients undergoing screening mammography at the practice. For more information, visit https://www.birminghamobgyn.com.
