A Value Analysis of the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers on Prices for Breast Care.

INTRODUCTION

The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBCs) certifies health care facilities that deliver high-quality care for breast disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between NAPBC accreditation status and pricing for breast-related services to determine the value proposition of accredited breast centers.

METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was performed using Florida's All-Payer Claims Database, comparing pricing for breast-related services between NAPBC-accredited and nonaccredited facilities. Seven services were analyzed: five diagnostic and two treatment services. Price differences were assessed using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles. Price variation between facility types was evaluated using F-tests of equality of variances.

RESULTS

The study analyzed 400 facilities, with 59 (15%) providing diagnostic service pricing, 63 (16%) providing partial mastectomy pricing, and 26 (6%) providing full mastectomy pricing. No significant price differences were observed between NAPBC and non-NAPBC facilities for diagnostic services, including breast biopsy care bundle ($4840 NAPBC versus $5337 non-NAPBC; P = 0.48), office visit for initial evaluation ($339 versus $332; P = 0.21), diagnostic mammogram ($403 versus $366; P = 0.06), breast biopsy ($3928 versus $4546; P = 0.85), and follow-up office visit ($102 versus $102; P = 0.44). For treatment services, partial mastectomy prices were similar between facility types ($14,796 versus $15,322; P = 0.12). For full mastectomy, while median prices showed no significant difference ($20,914 versus $26,060; P = 0.08), NAPBC facilities had significantly lower 75th percentile prices ($25,641 versus $35,654; P = 0.048).

CONCLUSIONS

NAPBC-accredited facilities provide comparable or lower prices relative to nonaccredited facilities. Given their established compliance with evidence-based quality benchmarks, these findings support a value proposition for patients and health care systems.