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Beth Battaglino, RN-C, CEO of HealthyWomen

Beth brings a unique combination of sharp business expertise and women's health insight to her leadership of the organization. Beth has worked in the health care industry for more than 25 years helping to define and drive public education programs on a broad range of women's health issues. She launched and has expanded the HealthyWomen.org brand. As a result of her leadership, HealthyWomen was recognized as one of the top 100 women's health web sites by Forbes for three consecutive years, and was recognized by Oprah magazine as one of the top women's health web sites. HealthyWomen now connects to millions of women across the country through its wide program distribution and innovative use of technology.

Beth is responsible for the business development and strategic positioning of HealthyWomen. She creates partnerships with key health care professionals and consumer groups to provide strategic, engaging and informative award-winning programs. She serves as the organization's chief spokesperson, regularly participating in corporate, non-profit, community and media events. She also is a practicing nurse in maternal child health at Riverview Medical Center- Hackensack Meridian Health, in Red Bank, NJ.

In addition to her nursing degree, Beth holds degrees in political science, business and public administration from Marymount University.

To stay sane, she loves to run and compete in road races. She enjoys skiing and sailing with her husband and young son, and welcoming new babies into the world.

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What You Need to Know Before Going in for a Mammogram

A big part of what we do here at HealthyWomen is empower women to be their own advocates when it comes to their overall health and well-being. 

As the saying goes (and my own grandmother would reiterate) “knowledge is power,” and it never ceases to amaze me when I come across a nugget of information that neither the general public nor I was aware of.

We all know how important it is to ask questions of your health care provider at the time of your visit—especially when further tests, procedures or prescriptions are necessary.

But did you ever think to review with your doctor how those orders might be written?

A good friend brought a disconcerting scenario to my attention recently, and it’s important for every woman to know about:

My friend had gone for her routine mammogram appointment when the radiologist recommended a follow-up mammogram and subsequent ultrasound for something that looked “suspicious” in her left breast.

Unnerved as any woman in that situation might be, her tension rose when she learned that her prescription from her health care provider was written solely for “mammogram” and not “mammogram and any related testing.” 

She spent over six hours at the breast center waiting for a new prescription to be written and faxed to the radiologist authorizing the additional procedures. Lucky for her, the doctor’s office was open, and my friend received the new prescription that day.

In the end, everything turned out fine, and a day of needless worry and hassle ended smoothly. 

The lesson we should all learn is this: When getting prescriptions for routine screenings and/or testing, make sure the health care provider includes “AND ANY RELATED TESTING.” This ensures that the services you need can be performed the same day. That alleviates the added stress and financial toll of having to schedule more time off from work and/or additional child care.

So please remember this lesson because—as my grandmother also said—to live life to the fullest you have to learn something new every day! 

Pass it on.

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