So the question is, “what if people bought an x-ray machine (affordably available on Amazon)and started using it without training on radiological safety”?

I assume followed shortly by "what is this weird red splotch on my skin?"

Have you priced out a CT scanner and MRI?

Will you be able to source a radioactive source for your x-rays?

The X-Ray source is the X-ray machine. You may be referring to nuclear medicine which injects radioactive stuff, or radiation therapy.

DIY radiation therapy would be a whole new level.

> The X-Ray source is the X-ray machine.

Healthcare-grade x-ray tubes to put in your (expensive) x-ray machine are not something you easily can obtain without a license.

Here in New Zealand you get a licence after purchasing the equipment, and require the machine spec, date of manufacture and serial number to get the licence.

It does require a radiologist name on the paperwork as they are the one with the radiation licence. However it is possible to get one if not a radiologist (dentists do, and radiographers have).

Being licensed to use the equipment is the hard bit, as insurance companies require accreditation which is hard to get.

Fair. But what if ppl instead got scans in "radiology shops" without waiting for a specialist? Specialists are expensive.

Isn't that 90% of going to get scan is right now? You'll still need the "shop" to provide the equipment and the tech with the training to know what/where to scan, but you might get the results a bit faster? Are the radiologists the chokepoint now, or is it the techs?

That's the way it already works in many cases, just like with outpatient surgery clinics and other outpatient specialist practices. There is a critical difference, though, because radiology also has sub-specialities and someone focused on orthopedics probably isn't the one you'd want reading your cardiology images, nor would you want your ophthalmologic radiologist trying to diagnose a brain CT.