Patient sues radiology practice, seeking class action status after mammography suspension

A North Carolina woman is suing one local radiology practice after the FDA had previously yanked its accreditation to perform mammography screenings due to poor image quality.

Emily Cram, a Wake County resident, is seeking class action status for the lawsuit, which her attorney filed Dec. 31 in Wake Superior Court. Her action comes after a Food and Drug Administration review determined that some imaging tests conducted between 2017 and 2019 did not meet federal quality standards.

Cram alleges that Raleigh Radiology’s Blue Ridge location performed a mammography screening on her during that window and wants to know whether her images were in the sample reviewed by the FDA, the Raleigh News Observer reported Jan. 7. She’s demanding a refund for her care and is seeking class-action status for lawsuit to include others imaged at the practice during the past two years.

A spokeswoman for Raleigh Radiology did not immediately respond to a Radiology Business request for comment Tuesday. Last month, the practice noted that the review only included a small sample size, and leaders were working closely with federal officials to correct any deficiencies. Radiologists did not overlook any cancer or disease, the practice emphasized.

“We strive to provide our patients with the most advanced mammography technology and take pride in the services offered to, and treatment of, our patients. We are very sorry for any concern this has caused for our patients,” the practice posted to its website in December.

Marty Stempniak

Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic. 

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