Frequently Asked Questions

Booking the Mobile Coach

1. How do I book the coach to come to my organization or event?
The first step is to check our calendar for the coach’s availability.

After reviewing the calendar, contact Abbie Sanderson, our Community Events Supervisor, who can then confirm dates and times for your mammography event, as well as provide additional information and materials for you and your attendees. She can be reached at [email protected].

*Please note that the mobile coach cannot travel outside of Kansas or Missouri per regulations.

2. Does it cost anything to book the coach at my organization or event?
There is no charge to book the coach! Our goal is to be available each year for women in your group to make annual screenings simple and convenient. For mammography exam costs, please see Question 10.

3. How far in advance do I need to book the coach?
While there is no deadline, booking the coach 3-6 months in advance of your event is ideal. This way, we can work together to share the news to women in your community. You can book the coach as far out as one year. Sites who have booked with us consistently since the start of the mobile program will be given first chance at dates to have us out for their employees/community. After that, the calendar will open to new clients.

Patient Eligibility & Mammography Services Provided

4. Who can have an exam on the coach?
The mobile mammography coach travels to businesses and communities to provide life-saving screenings for patients with the following eligibility:

• Women 35-39 years old may obtain a baseline screening mammogram. They should check with their insurance provider prior to the screening for plan eligibility and coverage
• Women 40 years and older do not need a doctor’s order.
• The patient’s most recent screening mammogram should be 12 months or more prior to the current mammogram for insurance coverage reasons.
• Patients should not be pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Patients should be independently ambulatory and able to maneuver the coach’s steps, sit, stand and change to a shoulder gown unaided.
• Patients are responsible for providing the contact information of their primary care physician (name, phone number, fax number and address), who will receive results via fax. Patients must also provide their own contact information (name, phone number and address) to receive results via US mail.

Our mobile coach is unable to provide services for patients needing diagnostic mammograms (a mammogram done for symptoms related to the breast) or those needing help ambulating. If a male requires a mammogram, that would be listed as a diagnostic mammogram by insurance providers – therefore, we direct our male patients to any of our nine standing clinics in the metro area for imaging. We welcome all patients to one of our nine convenient locations around the Kansas City area in both Missouri and Kansas where we have additional diagnostic modalities available immediately if required.

5. What services are provided on the coach?
Diagnostic Imaging Centers is pleased to offer both 2D and 3D screening mammograms. We cannot provide clinical breast exams or diagnostic (symptomatic) mammograms. Should there be any symptoms, such as a new lump, tenderness, nipple discharge, a diagnostic mammogram would be required, which can be obtained at any of our eight metro-area clinics.

6. What is the difference between the 2D and 3D mammography?
3D mammography provides more detailed images to improve the radiologist’s ability to separate normal from abnormal tissue. 3D mammography can find more small cancers and can reduce the need for follow-up or workup studies. Our 3D equipment has the SAME radiation dosage of our 2D mammograms.

Scheduling An Appointment

7. Are mobile mammography events open to the public?
Yes! We do both public and private events. Please review our Calendar of Events to see the next public event near you.

8. How do I schedule my mammogram on the mobile coach?
In order to schedule a screening exam on our coach, please confirm the date of your mobile event; then call (913) 344-9989 or (816) 444-9989. Appointments are encouraged; walk-ins are also welcome.

9. May I be a “walk-in” mammography patient?
Yes! You are always welcome to visit a public event of the mobile coach without a prior appointment, as with any of our nine clinics in the Kansas City metro area. However, please keep in mind there may be other scheduled patients, and you may have to wait or be seen at a later time. Scheduling in advance guarantees your appointment and can make your experience faster and easier!

Payment & Insurance

10. How much will my mammogram cost?
Diagnostic Imaging Centers accepts almost all major insurances (listed under these FAQs). It is the patient’s responsibility to know what coverage her plan provides and whether she will need to make a co-pay or meet a deductible.

If your insurance does not cover your exam, you can pay by credit or debit card at the time of service (we do not accept checks or cash on the coach). Additionally, Diagnostic Imaging Centers offers a 25% discount to all patients paying out-of-pocket for their exams. Self-pay expenses for a screening mammogram are the following:

• 2D screening mammogram with 25% self-pay discount $165.00
• 3D screening mammogram with 25% self-pay discount $210.38

Diagnostic Imaging Centers, P.A. does accept Health Savings Account and Flex Spending Account cards.

11. Does my insurance cover a 3D mammogram?
As of January 1, 2019, both Kansas and Missouri insurance companies must cover 3D mammography in full, as you meet qualifying guidelines. Some insurances do come from outside of Kansas and Missouri, and may not cover 3D in full.

12. What if I don’t have insurance?
Kansas residents: The Early Detection Works program is available to qualified women to have mammograms covered.
Missouri residents: The Show Me Healthy Women program is available to qualified women to have screening mammograms covered.

Preparing For Your Exam & What To Expect

13. How do I prepare for my exam?
Preparation is simple: Do not wear any lotions, perfumes or deodorants above the waist on the day of your mammogram, as these products may have ingredients that can interfere with your exam. Wear a two-piece outfit so you do not have to fully disrobe. Anxious about having a mammogram? We have a short video available that takes you through exactly what to expect.

14. What do I bring to my appointment?
Please complete the Breast Imaging Form and, if you have had prior mammograms from providers other than Diagnostic Imaging Centers, the Medical Records Release Form. Please provide these completed forms at the time of your appointment. You will also need your insurance card and a credit/debit card (no cash or checks) if you elect to pay the $55 upcharge for a 3D screening.

15. What should I expect during and after my exam?
When you walk in, you’ll be greeted by our receptionist, who will check you in for your appointment and direct you to a dressing room. Through a private door, you will then enter the mammography suite, where a registered mammography technologist performs your exam (the compression lasts only a few seconds). After that, your appointment is finished—the whole process takes just 15-20 minutes!

16. When and how do I receive my results?
Your images will typically be reviewed and interpreted on the following business day by one of Diagnostic Imaging Centers’ radiologists, who will then fax results to your primary care provider (PCP) that day. You will be mailed a copy of your results, which you should receive within 1 week (if we are awaiting prior studies from another provider to compare to your recent exam, that may slightly delay a full report and therefore, the mailing of your results). If our radiologist identifies an abnormality, we will call you immediately. The law requires results in the mail within 30 days, however our company standards require our work to be more prompt than that.

About the Mobile Coach

17. Is the coach wheelchair accessible?
No, it is not. All patients should be independently ambulatory, able to maneuver the coach’s steps, sit, stand, and change to a shoulder gown unaided. If this is a concern, Diagnostic Imaging Centers has nine ADA-accessible clinics conveniently located across the Kansas City metro.

18. Are there medical interpreter services available on the coach?
The mobile staff can utilize a telephonic translation system for any patients needing language services.

19. Is there a bathroom on the coach?
No, but you will have access to one at the hosting organization or event.

20. What is the coach like/how big is it?
The coach is 40-feet long, 12-feet high and weighs 36,000 pounds. It was designed with patient care and comfort in mind: There is climate control, a reception desk, waiting area, 2 dressing rooms, and a state-of-the-art 3D mammography machine. Take a closer look at the coach here.

Patient Registration & Breast Imaging Forms

To save time at your appointment, you may complete registration form(s) prior to your arrival. Just print out the appropriate form, fill it out and bring with you the day of your mammogram. You can also fill out the forms on our mobile app. Search “Diagnostic Imaging” in your Apple or Android app store.

Breast Imaging Forms
Breast Imaging Exam Form
Breast Imaging Exam Form (Spanish)

Notice of Privacy Practices (English)
Notice of Privacy Practices (Spanish)