Diagnostic Imaging Essays

Diagnostic Imaging Essays Diagnostic Imaging Essay Diagnostic Imaging Essay Diagnostic Imaging: X-Ray Diagnostic Imaging is medical tools used by doctors to see inside our bodies without actually opening the body. Diagnostic imaging can involve the use of radiation which could be dangerous if exposed to large amounts of. Diagnostic imaging allows doctors to find tumors, broken bones, pneumonia, etc. In general, diagnostic imaging is very helpful. X-Rays: This was one of the first types of diagnostic imaging. It uses radiation called Electromagnetic Waves. These images appear in black and white. The calcium found in the bones absorb the radiation, which makes our bones glow white on the x-rays. The person who is getting the x-ray wears an apron that covers certain parts to protect the patient from the radiation. The person doing the x-ray also puts on an apron to protect them as well. X-Rays can also be dangerous because of the amount of radiation that is being exposed to the patient. The x-ray machine is finally placed on the place on the spot where it is needed and is turned on for a brief moment to capture the picture. You are required to hold your breath Just for a small amount of time to not mess up the scan. MRI scans: Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI, is a type of diagnostic imaging that shows mages of the organs and structures inside your body. Doctors use MRIs for multiple uses such as location tumors or seeing torn ligaments. A MRI is a painless procedure, but it also takes a good amount of time to complete. Patients are placed into a tunnel like machine. Patients are also required to remove all metals on them and to notify the doctors if they have metal inside their skin or body. If not the metals will be pulled off from you and your body. Also they also have inform doctors if the patient is pregnant. Once the MRI has begun, the patient has to remain still. Also the machine s a bit loud so doctors offer the patients earplugs. CT scans: Computed Tomography or CT, is like a type of x-ray but the process is different. It takes pictures of bones, but it also takes images of blood clots, cancer, internal bleeding and signs of heart disease. No special equipment is required to be worn for a CT scan. A patient is lying down on a table during a CT scan and it moves the patient to the center of the X-Ray machine. Before the procedure begins, the patient is given contrast dye so the body parts will appear in the image. These are also more expensive than X-Rays. Nuclear Medicine: Nuclear Medicine also uses radiation. They determine the location and severity of the illness instead of developing images of the skeletal structure. These illnesses include heart disease, cancer, etc. Because it has the involvement of radiation, the patient is required to wear protective vests and inform the doctor performing the procedure if they are currently pregnant. Patients are also required to remove all jewelry during the procedure. Ultrasounds: Ultrasound is a type of imaging that uses high-frequency sound waves to look at the structures of the human body and organs. They are commonly used to view idneys, livers, vessels, hearts and other organs. Ultrasounds are also used on women expecting a baby to view the fetus. Ultrasounds are safe and d o not use radiation making it one of the safer diagnostic imagines. A gel like substance is placed on the place where the ultrasound is going to be used and a transducer is used. This transducer sends out a sound wave and then it is bounced back to display an image. Procedure on giving a chest x-ray to find pneumonia: Pneumonia can be hard to diagnose because it may seem like a cold or a flu. You may not notice its more serious until it lasts longer. If your doctor thinks you have pneumonia, he may recommend you do a chest x-ray. This is a painless test that creates pictures of the structures inside your chest, such as your heart, lungs and blood vessels. The patient is required to take off any Jewelry and to put on an apron to not be exposed to harmful radiation. Then the patient is to stand in front of the x- ray to begin the process. The patient will be asked to stand still and to hold their breath for a short period of time, while the x-ray is processing the image. The doctor will now be able to tell if the patient has pneumonia based on the patients lungs.

Federal Government Small Business Set Aside Programs

Federal Government Small Business Set Aside Programs Every federal government purchase anticipated to be valued from $2500 to $100,000 is automatically set-aside for small businesses as long as there are at least 2 companies that can provide the product/service. Contracts over $100,000 can be set aside if enough small businesses are able to do the work. Contracts over $500,000 have to include a small business subcontracting plan so that small businesses can get work under these large contracts. Small Business Contracts less than $100,000 or those where 2 or more small businesses can fulfill the contract can be set aside for small businesses. This is typically a contracting officer decision after they perform market research. Contracts can be fully set aside or partially set aside (large company and small company). The SBA’s definition of a small business varies based on industry but typically is less than 500 employees or less than $5,000,000 in revenue. The government has an overall goal of 23% of prime contracts flowing to small businesses and in 2006 the actual was 23.09%. HUB Zone The HUBZone program is to encourage small businesses located in designated high unemployment, low-income areas through set aside contracts. HUBZone stands for â€Å"Historically Underutilized Business Zone†. To qualify a company must be a small business, owned and controlled 51% by US citizens, have a  main office in a HUBZone and have at least 35% of employees living in a HUBZone. The governments contracting goal is 3% of all prime contract dollars being awarded to HUBZone businesses. There are also sole source contracts possible and 10% price preference (HUBZone company prices can be 10% higher and still be considered competitive). To become HUBZone qualified the company must submit an application and supporting documentation to the SBA. In 2007 $1.764 billion was spent on HUBZone contracts. SBIR/STTR The SBIR/STTR program was established to provide small companies with funding to develop products which have government and commercial potential. SBIRs are research grants to fund research and development efforts. In 2005 federal agencies spent $1.85 billion on SBIR awards. STTR is similar to SBIR except the company must partner with a university under an STTR. Federal agencies with RD expenditures over $100 million per year set aside 2.5% of the RD funds for the SBIR program. Twenty percent of the SBIR award companies were founded entirely or partly based on SBIR contracts (â€Å"An Assessment of the SBIR Program†). SBIR is a three-phase program. Phase I is worth up to $100,000 and is to explore whether the proposed solution will work. Phase II can have a budget of up to $750,000 and is to develop a proof of concept. Phase III is to commercialize the solution and has a mix of government and private funding. 8(a) Small disadvantaged businesses may apply to the SBA 8(a) program. To qualify a business must be owned by socially or economically disadvantaged people, in business for at least 2 years and owners must have a net worth under $250,000. Once certified by the SBA 8(a) companies have set aside contracts available. Women-Owned There is no formal certification for women-owned small businesses – it is self-certified. The government contracting goal is 5% to women-owned businesses but there are no specific set aside programs. In 2006 the government awarded 3.4% of contract dollars to women-owned businesses. Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVO) Veterans who are certified as service-disabled and own a company can be qualified as a service disabled veteran owned company. There is no formal certification process (self-certified) other than the Veteran’s Administration qualifying them as service disabled. The government-wide contracting goal is 3% to SDVO. Just 0.12% of total prime contract dollars were to service disabled veteran-owned businesses. Veteran-Owned Veteran-owned companies is a self-certifying designation when at least 51% of the company is owned by veterans. There are no specific set aside programs for veteran-owned. Just 0.6% of total prime contract dollars were to veteran-owned businesses. Small Disadvantaged Business Small disadvantaged businesses are 51% owned and controlled by African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Subcontinent Asian Americans, and Native Americans. This designation is self-certifying. Native American Native American (including Alaskan and Hawaiian) can have contracts set aside and sole-sourced to them.