The news: Women ages 18+ who have had a routine screening mammogram within the past year can now pay $249 for an AI assessment of their five-year breast cancer risk. The FDA-cleared Clairity Breast tool is available online through Everlywell.

Here’s how it works: Clairity Breast's AI is trained on over 250,000 mammograms linked to five years of patient outcomes, including women who did and didn't develop breast cancer.

Clairity’s platform outputs a personalized five-year percentage probability score ranging from 0% to 100%, representing the statistical likelihood of a breast cancer diagnosis within the next five years.

• A score of less than 1.7% generally flags a woman as average risk.
• A score between 1.7% and 2.9% signals intermediate risk.
• Any score greater than 3% is designated as high risk.

Everlywell advises users to discuss their AI-generated risk scores with their providers and follow screening recommendations tailored to their individual risk.

Why it matters: Unlike conventional breast cancer risk models that rely on personal and family medical history, Clairity Breast uses AI to analyze a patient’s own mammogram image. The company says it is the first FDA-authorized tool of its kind.

AI-powered risk scores could also influence health decisions in potentially harmful ways. Medical experts told The New York Times that low scores could give women false reassurance and lead them to skip future mammograms. High scores, meanwhile, should prompt more patient-doctor conversations but could also cause unnecessary anxiety if they’re interpreted as a cancer diagnosis. Clairity acknowledges that its model may significantly overestimate risk, particularly for scores above 10%.

Meanwhile, online access makes the tool easier to obtain, but its cost could put it out of reach for many women. Previously limited to select health systems, the tool is now available directly to self-pay consumers. But its $249 price, which insurance doesn’t cover, could limit who benefits as consumers already struggle with rising premiums, higher out-of-pocket medical costs, and coverage losses. Expenses could also pile up, particularly if women pay for repeat assessments after each mammogram, on top of potential follow-up consultations, tests, and other services.

Implications for healthcare providers: More women will be interested in paying to learn their near-term breast cancer risk, which is an overall positive development. But patients need clear guidance on what their scores mean, why AI predictions aren’t precise, and why routine screenings remain essential. Everlywell’s website FAQs alone won’t suffice. Physicians need detailed guidance and Q&A resources to address questions from inquiring patients.

Meanwhile, AI-powered medical analysis is emerging as a new source of add-on revenue for healthcare companies and providers. As more consumers seek personalized health assessments, providers and digital health companies will have opportunities to sell AI analysis as an optional service, but high out-of-pocket costs could limit demand to patients willing and able to pay extra.

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