It’s a tough world out there for radiation coders. For one, radiation treatment planning is not easy. So if you are tempted to turn to 77263 every time, it’s not your fault. But you need to see to it that your documentation makes the first grade or you could risk upcoding accusations.

After the oncologist decides that the patient needs to be given radiation therapy, she must embark on the comprehensive and intense undertaking of determining the course of treatment.

Treatment planning allows the oncologist to determine how best to deliver radiation to the tumor while saveguarding healthy tissue.

The right codes for planning the treatment course are the following:

• 77261 — Therapeutic radiology treatment planning; simple
• 77262 — … intermediate
• 77263 — … complex

But remember that these codes are “professional component only” codes. As such, you should not append a modifier 26 (professional component) or TC (technical component) to them. Normally, you’ll report treatment planning only once per radiation course.

But see to it that you don’t confuse isodose plans (treatment planning) with the services 77261-77263 describe. You may report isodose plans (77305-77315) several times during the therapy course, provided of course you have proper documentation.

Note of caution: It may so happen that oncologists may perform complex clinical treatment, more than simple or intermediate ones. But don’t rush to code 77263 every time. The documentation must support your choice of code.

If you find yourself in such situations quite often, you can register yourself for medical coding conferences. In fact, there are oncology and hematology coding conferences coming up, where you can head to and enrich your coding know how.

With an aging population, people delaying medical procedures because of the spiraling costs associated with a privatized system and more medical students going into more profitable fields such as cosmetic surgery, the number of practicing radiologists has been shrinking even as demand is rising. Teleradiology makes access to these medical professionals easier than ever. Through the use of web based PACS (Picture Archive and Communication Systems), medical images can be distributed securely over the Internet. This is the basis of teleradiology; thanks to this increasingly-affordable technology, radiologists are no longer limited by location.

The Web-Based PACS Story

The first Radiology PACS was used at the Department of Radiology at the Ohio State University Medical Center nearly twenty years ago. In those days, the cost was several times what it is today, so only such a major medical center with university (or corporate) funding could afford such a system.

Despite the quarter-million dollar price tag, it is estimated that since it was installed in 1992, OHU’s Radiology PACS has saved the center in excess of $2 million dollars.

As the cost of PC-based technology that makes teleradiology possible has continued to fall, radiology PACs have become increasingly affordable. Today, a basic system can be had for around $5000.

More On Teleradiology

As Web-based communications have become easier, faster and cheaper, it has enabled radiologists to practice their specialty from any location and at any time of the day. This also gives hospitals in small, under-served communities access to health care professionals who work in some of the less-common sub-specialties in the radiology field, such as MRI Radiologists, Neuroradiologists, Pediatric Radiologists, or Musculoskeletal Radiologists â?? physicians who are usually found practicing only in major metropolitan areas.

Modern radiology PACS (Picture Archive and Communication Systems) employ the same basic PC and Internet technology with which you are already familiar â?? meaning that you can be up and running quickly without having to invest large amounts of time and money training the staff on how to use new technology.

Radiology PACS also make it easier to keep records and comply with federal regulations in this regard. It will no longer be necessary to use a cumbersome file-folder system, as such teleradiology records can be stored digitally, using any system that works for your facility and system. It’s possible to store medical images on digital media with other patient records, such as health history, prescriptions, the all-important billing information â?? any records that can be digitized â?? in the same archive, using the same folder system as Windows or MacOS.

The Future of Diagnostic Medicine

Using teleradiology services remotely over the World Wide Web does not mean sacrificing speed or quality â?? in fact, most such services have a turnaround time of thirty minutes or less, which can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency situation. Radiology PACS offer flexibility, economy and efficiency â?? making teleradiology a large part of the future of health care.

You or a loved one may have recently visited a doctor for an MRI diagnosis not realizing that your injection of MRI dye, in combination with kidney problems that you may have a history of, is putting your life in danger. For this reason, you now have certain gadolinium side effects to watch out for. Due to a lack of a black-box warning on the dye’s label which is required by the FDA, you also have a gadolinium lawsuit which you should file as soon as possible.

To help you, you will need to find at least two or three ideal candidates to interview and have the experience necessary to give you a fighting chance at the compensation you deserve. Your gadolinium lawyer is likely to charge you contingency fees, which only depend on the success of your case and are not up-front.

Symptoms following from gadolinium include the following: thickening skin, connective tissue, muscles, and/or organs; others include joint stiffness, yellow spots on the eyes, bone pain, itching, burning, or discolored skin spots/lesions. If your symptoms are severe, it is possible that you must go around in a wheelchair.

While there is no known cure for nephrogenic systemic fibrosis or nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy (NSF/NFD) of which these are the key signs, you may fight them by revisiting your doctor so a sample of your blood can be exposed to ultraviolet light and injected back into your bloodstream.

Statistics indicate that gadolinium-related illnesses only affect several hundreds of people worldwide. Therefore, they may be difficult to research and you also should not take the risk that there may be a shortage of available lawyers in your local area. Your state’s laws only give you a limited amount of time to file a gadolinium lawsuit, and you should check them to make sure you are not too late. If you like, you may contact your local and state elected officials for advice on an attorney.

Be warned that your overall legal process may take many months to complete, so the more relevant evidence you can present to your gadolinium lawyer, the better. Now is the best time to do this if you are only in the early stages following your diagnosis with MRI dye. An illness may manifest as early as only several days after the diagnosis and as late as 18 months later.

Gadolinium side effects are to be taken seriously. Do not hesitate to get the help you need; your future and that of your loved ones is on the line.

BEWARE OF MULTIPLE (DIFFUSED) NEURO / CEREBRAL CYSTICERCOSIS—————-A LIFE THREATENING DISEASE

This is a real life story of a brave girl who had not resigned to her fate despite affliction of an incurable disease and lived on hope after hope. She has exhibited strong will power and determination to overcome the pangs in life. She has withered many storms, displayed rare courage despite several odds and stood as a shining example to instill confidence in others passing through the same turmoil.

In the year 1977, my daughter when she was hardly 7 years old, suddenly, complained of unbearable (splitting/hammering) headache, projectile vomitings that reminded me of the Hollywood horror movie “EXORCIST” . The pressure in the alimentary canal built-up was so high, the vomit resembled the gush of a fountain. When there was no relief with conventional pain killers, anti-vomitants and dehydration had set in already, she was rushed to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi and was put on drip. The Doctors could not make a prognosis with routine tests besides X-ray of skull. As such, she was shifted to Gobind Ballabh Pant Hospital which was better equipped to deal with Neurological and Neurosurgical problems. In those days, India did not have sophisticated diagnostic tools like CAT SCAN / MRI etc. In the absence of latest equipment, Dr A. Krishna Reddy, M.S. M.Ch., a young and brilliant Neurosurgeon had conducted “Carotid Angiogram” (where a dye is injected under general anaesthesia through the carotid artery leading to the brain and X-rays are taken in quick succession to know the presence of benign or malignant tumour) and “Pneumo-Encephalogram” (which was again a tortuous process—pumping pressurised air through inter-vertebrae) but nothing abnormal could be detected. However, on close examination, he had found with the aid of an opthalmoscope, bilateral- papilodema and intra-cranial tension (ICT) which were serious symptoms indicative that something had gone wrong in the brain. To rule out the possibility of Brain T.B., a full course of antibiotic injections were also given. He has given a provisional diagnosis as “Cerebral Cysticercosis” and prescribed “cortico-steroid” (which is usually prescribed by the Doctors as a last resort that serves as a masking effect/camouflage– to suppress the symptoms only but will not tackle the root cause of the disease) so as to reduce the ICT and give immediate relief to the patient and liberal quantities of Glycerine (pharmaceutical preparation) and ‘Decadron’ (a steroid ) injection as SOS. Glycerine has a unique feature of unhindered entry into the brain and is supposed to absorb waste fluids accumulated in the brain. She used to make tantrums to take glycerine although sweet in taste but is sticky like a glue.. After sometime she was discharged from the Hospital. We have then approached Dr P.N. Tandon, Head of Neurosurgery,AIIMS who was then credited with the highest number of successful brain operations in India. He was also very much puzzled and referred to Dr Kuchi Pillai, Endocrinologist with the observation– “The child is a baffling problem who at one time had evidence of raised I.C.P. for which all investigations have proved of no avail (Angio, PEG, EMI scan). She is now totally dependent on Cortisone. Is there any way of solving her problem?” Soon after discharge from the hospital, she has started getting convulsions/seizures with high temperature for unknown reasons and she was again hospitalized, this time, in Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi when Dr Maheswari, eminent Neurologist has carried out “Electro-Encephalogram” and confirmed sudden burst of waves in the graph in the parieto-occipital region of the brain and confirmed epileptic condition and prescribed anti-convulsants and wide spectrum anti-biotic (Septran). Due to continuous damage being done by the cortisone, the same was gradually tapered under the cover of Adrino-cortico-tropical Hormone injections imported from U.K. and it was finally dispensed with. It is less said than better about the drug withdrawal symptoms experienced which were more serious than the disease itself. In the mean time, the first “Cat Scan” machine was acquired by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi in April, 1979 and the scan taken in the first instance has revealed nothing abnormal (NAD) and we were overjoyed to learn about it. But, our happiness was short-lived as Dr Ivaturi Meera Devi, Radiologist repeated the test when countless cysts of the tapeworm scattered all over the brain were clearly visible and confirmed the diagnosis as “multiple (diffused) cerebral cisticercosis” for which there was no remedy those days and the patient had to depend on anti-convulsants to be supplemented by Vitamin-D for the rest of life with its inevitable side effects like gingivitis (loose gums), behavioral changes, progressive loss of memory and osteoporosis.

We did not have the slightest idea that it was symptomatic of a strange and incurable disease caused by eating tapeworm (Taenia solium.) infected cole vegetable crops like carrot, radish, beet root, cabbage and cauliflower grown in unhealthy bogs ( grown under sewage water) although the disease is common in pork eaters when it was not properly cooked. Pigs are the alternate hosts of tapeworm parasite. Although, we are pure vegetarians, my daughter is afflicted with this infection .

As the attending Neurosurgeon who was taking special interest in the patient joined the National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, I have admitted my daughter in NIMS in Bangalore as her condition had deteriorated. Despite religious intake of anti-epileptic medicines in the recommended dosages, she used to get seizures off and on sometimes mild and sometimes in severe form. Sometimes with forewarning like flashes in the eyes, slight headache, flickering of eye lids, disorientation, hallucinations, incoherent speech, tremors, (generalized convulsions) and sometimes all of a sudden, she used to fall down. Dr G.N. Narayana Reddy, Director, NIMS opined on 09th Nov. 1979 that there was no treatment available for cysticercosis in the brain. He had no knowledge of any indigenous system of medicine which could help in such a condition. The type and extent of damage done depends very much on the site of the lesion and the reaction of the brain to the cysticercosis. They may remain silent without producing symptoms for a long time but suddenly, they may produce symptoms of varying nature according to him. As Neurosurgery facilities in Chennai were considered far better in those days, I have taken her to Chennai and was treated there for 2 years (1980-82) under the expert supervision of Drs B. Ramamurthy and S. Kalyanaraman in the General Hospital there. With help from International friends and as per the advice of Dr Ayub K. Ommayya, Neurosurgeon, Maryland, USA, I have taken her to Mexico City in the year 1986 where the incidence of this disease is high. The American Doctors have stated that they don’t have much knowledge on the disease as it occurs only in underdeveloped countries due to unhygienic conditions and lack of sanitation and said that Mexicans have greater awareness in the management of the disease. The Nuclear Medicine Specialists in Mexico have claimed that they have developed a vaccine for the extermination of not only viable cysts but even the calcified cysts. I have contacted Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai for injectible form of I-131 and they had expressed their inability to supply the same as it was available only for oral administration and required clearance to make it in injectible form from none other than Rajiv Gandhi, the then PM holding the portfolio of Atomic Energy. Under these extenuating circumstances, the Mexican Doctors have invited us to go to their country as radio active material can’t be supplied through diplomatic bag and moreover its half life reported to be 8 days only. However, the treatment provided by Dr Gregario Skromne Kadulbik of Mexico has proved to be a tall claim and it did not bring any improvement in her case as they have used my daughter as a guinea pig for conducting experiments on her. On the other hand, she has developed hyperthyroidism due to intravenous administration of Iodine-131, a radio-active substance used as a carrier to the vaccine to the brain. Brig. N. Lakshmipathi, VSM, Director, Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences, Government of India, Delhi has expressed his inability for administering 24 booster doses provided by Dr Skromne as the Nuclear Medicine Committee of BARC has expressed their inability to endorse the proposed treatment. The Radiologist at the Mexican Hospital has exclaimed that she has not seen before so many cysts scattered all over in a single brain. Some of the Professors of Medical Colleges in India desired to have the cat scan pictures for teaching purpose. Based on the cat scan, a Doctor in India has submitted dissertation for the award of a Ph.D. Despite her ill health and countless epileptic attacks, she is intelligent and highly educated but is having amnesia (forgetful nature of losing key bunch, purse etc. but elephantine memory of instances of the past.) However, she is unable to lead an active life due to heavy medication and requires minimum 9—10 hrs sleep. In the event of an impending epileptic attack, she is given ‘Diazepam’ 2 cc Intra-venous to lull her into sleep. She is now 40 year old and is blessed with a normal, intelligent and beautiful female baby 4 years back through a caesarean section despite innumerable problems like static epilepsy during pregnancy (in Vitro) necessitating hospitalization a couple of times. Unlike most greedy and money minded Indian Doctors, to her good luck, at last, she found an excellent doctor couple, husband a Neurologist and wife a Gynaecologist— a perfect combination ( Jain Nursing Home, Preet Vihar, Delhi) who had taken extraordinary care of her throughout the pregnancy. We have tried Homoeopathy as an alternative medicine with disastrous results. In her case, Neurosurgeons have clearly told that anti-convulsants can’t be discontinued under any circumstances that might expose her life to mortality. According to medical sources, any damage done to the brain is irrepairable as the cysts lodged in the brain shall remain active for nearly 7 years and later they are calcified forming lesions/permanent scars on the brain surface. The cysts even after calcification produce electrical discharges triggering epileptic fits. If the presence of cysts are limited to one or two, they can be removed by operating the brain depending on their location and accessibility. In many cases, these cysts are lodged in urinary bladder, eyes or in any other part of the human body but the problem arises when cysts are lodged in the brain as they can make entry only into the brain but have no exit point. The seriousness of the patient can be gauzed from the fact that a lady in her early thirties, wife of an Armed Forces Officer who was under treatment along with my daughter had committed suicide unable to bear the suffering. Despite her protracted illness, she has shown brevity in adversity and with single minded devotion pursued her studies in Delhi University – B.A.(Hons) English Litt., M.A. and B.Ed with flying colours. It is very sad that a carefree life of childhood to be spent in merriment was robbed off from her due to protracted illness. Whenever, indications of an impending seizure are noticed, she is administered “Diazepam” 2 cc I.V. injection. The Delhi University was very co-operative and provided extra time for answering each question paper on the basis of a medical certificate issued by the Head of Neurosurgery Deptt. and University Doctor as with each epileptic attack, she needed physiotherapy to regain the normal function of her limbs. Marriage is a taboo especially for women suffering from epilepsy in Indian Society. Very recently only, the draconian law has been amended by the Indian Parliament annulling the law of equating the epilepsy as lunacy and allowing divorce. However, a broadminded, highly qualified and affluent financial wizard of 33 years has married her when she had attained the age of 30 years and her medical history was not hidden from him.

I was in touch with various multinational pharmaceutical companies like Bayer and E-Merck (Germany) engaged in evolving medicines for cysticercosis even before they have undertaken the clinical trials. Eventually, E-Merck has developed a medicine of choice ‘praziquantel’ in the form of tablets costing full course around Rs.3,000/- which is said to be highly efficacious in the initial stages of infection. The medicine is to be administered under the close supervision of a Neurologist or a Neurosurgeon only to handle the fluctuations in the Intra-cranial pressure. However, there is no hope for the old patients afflicted with this dreadful disease when the cysts are already calcified in the brain as the medicine won’t work.

The incidence of the disease has been reported to be high in the Union Territory of Chandigarh according to an independent survey conducted and reported in print media as a number of cases have been reported by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences there. Medical Extension services of various states and Union Govt. should play a prominent and key role in educating the general public with an aggressive publicity drive about the danger in store for them especially in the consumption of “SALAD” and Vegetables without proper washing and thorough rinsing in filtered water.

Some comfortably well off empty nester baby boomers may obtain the car of their dreams or have an affair as the means to inspire passion.

This born and bred New Yorker, who moved to Florida before Mickey Mouse arrived, and whose sanctuary for the last ten years is upon ten acres in the Green Swamp [environmentally protected areas atop aquifers] of Central Florida, did something else instead.

A 1954 baby, born in Greenwich Village who got to grow up free to roam in Levittown when kids left the house after two bowls of Capt’n Crunch and as long as they returned home before the sun went down, nobody worried.

My childhood dream of growing up to be Brenda Starr, morphed into an adult desire to be a Dorothy Day-the 20th socialist anarchist Roman Catholic who challenged church, state and corporate media – for the 21st century.

Inspired by many muses I crossed paths with during my first of five trips to Israel Palestine in June 2005, on July 22, 2005, WAWA was born.

WAWA/WeAreWideAwake is a Pro-Bono/FREE Public Service to America. As a civilian journalist who has journeyed five times into Israel Palestine since June 2005, WAWA is dedicated to confronting media and governments that shield the whole truth. We who are wide awake are compelled by the “fierce urgency of Now”[Rev MLK, Jr.] to raise awareness and promote the human dialogue about many of the crucial issues of our day: the state of our Union and in protection of democracy, what life is like for Christians in Israel Palestine in the 21st Century, nuclear weapons, the environment, science, medicine, theology and spirituality.

Being inspired by the events of 9/11 to find out WHY did a few-back then it was a few-people in the world hated America so much to target and murder innocent ones-I began to research for answers to questions the media was not asking.

Hate that can kill any other, is a deep hate indeed, and I wanted to understand what fueled it. All roads led me to Jerusalem and the troubled bit of real estate we call the Holy Land, which in reality is in pieces; Bantustans.

Inspired by my faith as a Christian of the Beatitudes [meaning my manifesto is the Sermon on The Mount+] I wanted to do something positive, and was led to connect with a local interfaith non-political non-profit organization in 2003, the newly founded Olive Trees Foundation for Peace/OTFFP.

The OTFFP was envisioned by an American Palestinian and ‘48 refugee from the upper Galilee who made his way to the USA and realized the American dream.

After a lucrative career with Top Secret Clearance in the Defense Industry during the Cold War and THAT DAY we call 9/11, Dr. Khaled Diab’s dream of helping his homeland by going PRO was born.

PRO seeks Peace and Reconciliation by providing Opportunities for all.

The OTFFP PRO dream came into reality when a few committed American Jews, Christians and Muslims got together in Orlando, Fl. and established the 501 3-c Olive Trees Foundation for Peace five years ago. http://www.olivetreesfoundation.org/

Inspired by my seven months of Tuesday afternoons listening to the memories of Dr. Diab’s life, I wrote my first historical fiction, KEEP HOPE ALIVE with all proceeds going to help realize the OTFFP dream of blanketing the Holy Land with one million trees on both sides of The Wall.

Inspired by a photograph of a little boy of Bethlehem, published first in the Florida Catholic in 2001, and the desire to meet him, I traveled out of the states for the first time along with the first USA OTFFP delegation to Israel Palestine in June 2005. It is that photo of George of Beit Jala, a five minute car ride from the Church of The Nativity in downtown Bethlehem, occupied territory that adorns the WAWA banner.

Inspired by the fact that George’s sanctuary was destroyed the night before his photo was taken and the shrapnel was imprinted: MADE IN USA, I vowed I would devote the rest of my life to doing something to help end the occupation and terror little children endure because of adults who choose violence.

Inspired by my meetings with the OTFFP’s ‘boots on the ground’ who disseminated the now over 41,000 trees which are deeply rooted at houses of worship, schools and on private property of the neediest of land owners, I journeyed back solo four more times.

Inspired by the growing numbers of nonviolent Palestinians, Israelis and internationals who engage in nonviolent acts of civil disobedience in protest of the route of The Wall and 40+ years of military occupation, I published Memoirs of a Nice Irish American ‘Girl’s’ Life in Occupied Territory which is dedicated to the Palestinian Christians with hope that their Exodus will soon cease and the land we call holy will be whole indeed.

Inspired by the dream that Reverend Martin Luther King had just days before his assassination when he saw “Israel as one of the greatest outposts of democracy in the world” and as an act of nonviolent civil disobedience, I am holding onto that dream by emailing, phoning and streaming video of Mordechai Vanunu, the whistle blower of Israel’s WMD Program, who has been forbidden to speak to any foreigners ever since his 2004 release from 18 years in jail [most all in solitary] for telling the world that Israel was already nuclear in 1985.

Vanunu’s freedom of speech trial began in January 2006 for speaking to foreign media in 2004 and concludes July 8, 2008 in Jerusalem. Israel could put Vanunu back behind bars for six more months, or be inspired to accept the Norwegians offer of asylum http://www.vanunu.org/ for him.

Inspired by the lack of spiritual depth and disappointing ending of The Da Vinci Code, KEEP HOPE ALIVE begins with the Nag Hamadi Library and the stages of the soul and ends with a howling wind to USA Christians to wake up to the heretical theology and neo-con ideology, of the Left Behind series.

Inspired by Gilda Radner/ Baba Wawa, George Harrison’s opening number at the Concert for Bangladesh/ Wah Wah, the Arabic for a boo-boo/wawa and nonviolent internationals, Israelis and Palestinians who are wide awake and see the way to peace is justice and the way to justice is equal human rights and international law, WAWA: WeAreWideAwake.org is a labor of love in that cause.

Inspired by my intimate relationship with Jesus, who was never a Christian, but a social, justice, radical revolutionary Palestinian devout Jewish road warrior who rose up against the corrupt Temple authorities and challenged their job security by teaching the people they did NOT need to pay the priests for ritual baths or sacrificing livestock to be OK with God; for God LOVED them just as they were: sinners, poor, diseased, outcasts, widows, orphans, refugees and prisoners all living under Roman Military Occupation, I offer a new spin on Jesus in KEEP HOPE ALIVE.

Might you be inspired by the fact that 2,000 years ago The Cross had NO symbolic religious meaning. When JC said: “Pick up your cross and follow me” everyone understood he was issuing a POLITICAL statement, for the main roads in Jerusalem were lined with crucified agitators, rebels, dissidents and any who disturbed the status quo of the Roman Occupying Forces.

The Beatitudes for the 21st century:

About 2,000 years ago, when Christ was about 33, he hiked up a hill and sat down under an olive tree and began to teach the people;

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”

In other words: it is those who know their own spiritual poverty, their own limitations and sins honestly and trust God loves them in spite of themselves who already live in the Kingdom of God.
How comforted we will all be, when we see, we haven’t got a clue, as to the depth and breadth of pure love and mercy of The Divine Mystery of The Universe. God’s name in ancient Aramaic is Abba which means Daddy as much as Mommy and He/She: The Lord has said, “My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not yours.” -Isaiah 55:8

Christ proclaimed more: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

The essence of meek is to be patient with ignorance, slow to anger and never hold a grudge. In other words: how happy you will be when you also know humility; when you know yourself, the good and the bad, for both cut through every human heart.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled.”

In other words: how happy you will be when your greatest desire is to do what “God requires, and he has already told you what that is; BE JUST, BE MERCIFUL and walk humbly with your Lord.”-Micah 6:8

“Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy.” In other words: how happy you will all be when you choose to return only kindness to your ‘enemy.’

“For with the measure you measure against another, it will be measured back to you.” Christ warns his disciples as he explains the law of karma in Luke 6:27-38.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they see God.”

In other words: how happy you will be when you WAKE UP and see God is already within you, within every man, every woman and every child. The Supreme Being is everywhere, the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. Beyond The Universe -and yet so small; within the heart of every atom.

“Blessed are The Peacemakers: THEY shall be called the children of God.”

Oh how happy the WORLD will be when we all seek justice and pursue it, for there can be none without the other.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires, theirs is The Kingdom of Heaven.”

And one fine day the lion will lie down with The Lamb and man will make war no more and that is the Kingdom of God.

Radiology is that branch of medical science which makes use of various medical imaging technologies such as X rays, sound waves and magnetic fields to diagnose and treat diseases. These days, medical imaging has extensively simplified the diagnostic procedures to help the physicians decide the accurate course of treatment without causing much distress to the patients.

As part of diagnosis, radiologists take x rays and administer non radioactive materials into the blood streams of the patient. There is a huge demand for qualified radiologists all over the world and in order to meet the ever widening supply- demand gap, more and more countries are outsourcing radiologists. The online radiology communities offer a common platform for the radiologists to share ideas and information about the latest technological advancements in this field. There are also radiological journals, which publish the latest discoveries from the exciting word of medical imaging.

There are many job opportunities for qualified radiologists in trauma centres and super speciality hospitals. Their job profile includes preparing the patients for radiologic examinations and positioning patients to get the best quality images. They have to set controls on the imaging machine to produce radiographs of the appropriate density, detail, and contrast. They are also responsible to make sure that patients are not exposed to radiation unnecessarily. Radiation protection devices like lead shields are used to isolate the other areas of the body. Correct positioning of radiographic equipment at the desired angle and height over the patient’s body is also important in ensuring a risk free imaging.

There are many specialities such as computed tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and mammography, which are used for specific applications. CT scans produce three-dimensional image and uses ionizing radiation; whereas MR uses non-ionizing radio frequency to generate images. Mammography is used for producing the images of the breast for detecting tumours and low intensity x rays are used for this type of imaging.

There are many opportunities for part-time and shift work for radiologists. Radiologists with adequate experience can perform complex imaging procedures such as fluoroscopies to interpret the disease conditions of the soft tissues in the body. Radiology conferences and radiology media are ideal media for you to keep abreast with the latest discoveries in radiology and to familiarise with the working of radiology equipments.