Radiology is an incredible part of the healthcare. Most people understand the most basic idea, to capture images inside the body to avoid cutting it open in order to diagnose problems and disease.

However, facts such as how it works, when it is really needed, how it is read, and why it seems to be so expensive are all still vast blank areas for the healthcare consumer.

When you have an insurance plan with high-deductible, or limited radiology coverage, those blank areas start to get costly. Especially, if you have no understanding of the underlying concepts. Having a basic understanding of the ideas behind radiology is of utmost importance when the money is coming out of your pocket.

What is Radiology?

Radiology is a medical specialty that uses various technologies to take Images inside the body. It is used in the diagnosis, and even treatment, of many different types of medical problems and diseases. It is one of the most important parts of understanding what is really wrong with a patient and how best to start or continue treatment.

Radiology includes X-ray, positron emission tomography (PET scan), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT scan). New technology and improvements on current technologies are fairly constant in Radiology. New improvements could also mean there is the possibility for fairly constant rising costs in order to keep up with the technology.

How Does It Work?

While each of the technologies in Radiology is extremely complex, the basic idea is actually fairly easy to understand. The patient is positioned in a machine, their body or parts of their body are subjected to an emission, such as X-rays or magnetic fields, the body and the emission interact in some way, and the machine records an image of that interaction.

So, Radiology is very much like having a photograph taken, only instead of taking a picture of how the outside of the body reacts to the light around it, it takes a picture how the inside of the body reacts to the emissions.

As with all medical procedures, there are risks, but in the case of radiology, the risks are exceptionally rare. However, in no way do the risks outweigh the benefits of getting a correct diagnosis without surgery – with the rare exception of a very few patients that have other issues that may negatively interact with the emissions.

When is Radiology really needed?... Read full blog