Radiology

In most cases, you do require a radiology referral to get radiological and other imaging tests – you can get this from your general practitioner, nurse, specialist or physiotherapist. There are certain tests and services which can only be requested by specific specialists – diagnostic imaging services (like some MRIs), as an example.

The GPs at National Telemedicine Doctors are able to provide radiologist referrals. Like most services that are largely referral-based, if you have radiology appointment without a referral, Medicare will not cover any of your costs.

What is Radiology?

Radiology, also called diagnostic imaging, is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose and treat diseases within the bodies of animals, including humans and allows doctors to see inside the body.

Pathology tests are important because they help nurses and doctors to diagnose, prevent, monitor and manage a host of conditions such as: infections, cancers, chronic diseases, and allergies.

Read more:
https://www.insideradiology.com.au/for-health-consumers/general-radiology/
https://www.ranzcr.com/

Difference between a radiologist and a radiographer

Radiologists and radiographers are medical professionals who use imaging technology to diagnose diseases and injuries. When you have a CT scan, x-ray or ultrasound you see the radiographer and a radiographer is an allied health practitioner. The radiologist is a medical specialist and they are the ones who can read the images and make a diagnosis. The key difference between a radiographer and a radiologist is simple – one is a medical specialist (radiologist) and one is an allied health professional (radiographer).

Radiographers take medical images such as x-rays and CT scans to help doctors in the diagnosis of injuries and disease. And, radiologists are the medical doctors who specialise in interpreting medical imaging tests. Their qualifications allow the radiologist to not only diagnose but also offer treatments using imaging technology. They can do additional study to become an interventional radiologist allowing them to carry out image-guided procedures inside a person.

A radiographer completes a 3 to 4-year bachelor’s degree in medical radiation science, technology and imaging. Another option is a 2-year master’s degree. Part of the bachelor’s degree is supervised practice program. Students of the 3-year bachelor’s degree are also required to complete a supervised practice program. The journey for radiologists is a bit longer. They first must qualify as doctors and work for at least 2 years in hospitals and then complete at least 5 years of specialist medical radiology training to be qualified as a radiologist.
Radiologists and radiographers work together in public hospitals, medical centres, specialist centres (like cancer clinics), and private hospitals.

The cost of either of these services depends on a few variables such as:

Usually, in the public health system you won’t pay for ultrasounds or x-rays, as these are covered by Medicare. However, for more complex tests you may have to pay. In 2016, the out-of-pocket cost for radiology services was, on average, nearly $100. For complex tests like MRIs and CT scans, the out-of-pocket costs was roughly $150. Before making an appointment for any radiology services, it is important to ask about out-of-pocket costs and find out if a referral from a particular medical professional is required.