Our radiologists will be reading mammograms on a soft copy workstation. Do we still need a printer, and what are the requirements for the printer?

Yes you need a printer. MQSA regulations require it. The printer does not necessarily have to be located at your facility, but you need to have ready access to it if it is located at another location. The printer has to be able to provide diagnostic quality images and must be QC’ed as required by the printer manufacturer and the FFDM manufacturer. And here’s the most important point: The printer must pass the physicist testing before the FFDM unit can be placed into service, even if you do not plan to print mammograms right away. Be sure to have your installing engineer test the printer for artifacts and run a SMPTE pattern to test for gray scale calibration.