Lahey Hospital Opens Expanded Women's Imaging Center in Burlington

Lahey Hospital & Medical Center has opened an expanded women's imaging center in Burlington, adding new 3D mammography equipment and a redesigned workflow that allows most patients to receive their screening results the same day rather than waiting up to a week.

The center's same-day results model relies on having a radiologist review images immediately after a screening appointment rather than batching reads for later in the week, a change hospital officials said required additional radiologist staffing but significantly reduces the anxiety patients experience while waiting for results.

"The waiting is often the worst part for patients, sometimes worse than any actual finding," said Lahey's director of breast imaging. "Being able to tell the vast majority of our patients their results before they even leave the building has changed how patients describe the experience."

The expanded center also added a dedicated high-risk screening clinic for patients with a family history of breast cancer or genetic risk factors, offering supplemental MRI screening alongside standard mammography for patients who qualify under updated screening guidelines. Lahey officials said the high-risk clinic addresses a gap in coordinated care for patients who previously had to seek supplemental screening through separate referrals.

Lahey Hospital said the imaging center now performs several thousand mammograms annually and is exploring extending same-day results capability to its breast biopsy services next.