Lung Cancer Screenings

The only recommended screening test for lung cancer is low-dose computed tomography (also called a low-dose CT scan, or LDCT). During an LDCT scan, you lie on a table and an X-ray machine uses a low dose (amount) of radiation to make detailed images of your lungs. The scan only takes a few minutes and is not painful. This can be done at Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage.

Who Should Be Screened?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends yearly lung cancer screening with LDCT for people who:

Have a 20 pack-year or more smoking history, and
Smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years, and
Are between 50 and 80 years old.

A pack-year is smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes per day for one year. For example, a person could have a 20 pack-year history by smoking one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years.

To determine if a screening is right for you, discuss your options with your primary care provider. Call us at 641-732-6100 to make an appointment.

Learn more about our providers.

MCRHC has been recognized as a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. This is the fourth time MCRHC has received this national honor.

Awarded honorees are determined by the results of iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®. To determine the 2024 list, the Chartis Center used the Hospital Strength Index, which assesses performance in eight areas: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charges, and financial efficiency.

Hospitals recognized as a Top 100 facility had one of the 100 highest overall scores among all rural and community and critical access hospitals nationally. There is no application process and recognition is solely based on performance data.

MCRHC previously received Top 100 honors in 2018, 2019 and 2023.