Diagnostic Radiation Physics Services (DRPS) provides board-certified medical physics and radiation safety consulting to healthcare facilities throughout Baltimore and the broader Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area. Baltimore operates as an independent city under Maryland law — it is not part of any county — and serves as the commercial and clinical hub for a metro region that spans Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Queen Anne's County, and Harford County. DRPS serves imaging centers, hospital outpatient departments, and multi-site health systems across this entire corridor.
Medical Physics Services in Baltimore
DRPS delivers the full scope of diagnostic medical physics support that Baltimore-area facilities require for regulatory compliance, accreditation readiness, and ongoing quality assurance:
- Equipment Performance Evaluations (EPEs) — comprehensive testing of radiographic, fluoroscopic, mammographic, and CT systems against applicable national standards
- Radiation Shielding Design and Certification — room-by-room dose modeling, barrier calculations, and signed physics reports for new construction, renovation, and occupancy-change projects
- Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) Services — designated RSO support for facilities requiring a licensed qualified expert under Maryland regulations
- Accreditation Support — physics survey reports and documentation packages for ACR, IAC, RadSite, and Joint Commission accreditation programs
- CT Physics Testing and Optimization — dose index verification, protocol review, image quality benchmarking, and patient dose optimization
- PET/CT and Nuclear Medicine Physics — acceptance testing, performance monitoring, and regulatory compliance support for molecular imaging departments
- Quality Assurance Programs — ongoing QA protocol design, staff training coordination, and trending analysis for imaging departments of all sizes
Maryland Radiation Regulations
Baltimore-area facilities operate under a layered regulatory framework that DRPS navigates on behalf of clients daily.
The primary state authority is the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), Radiological Health Program. Maryland is an NRC Agreement State, meaning the state has assumed regulatory authority over radioactive materials from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Facilities using radioactive materials — including those operating PET/CT systems, nuclear medicine cameras, or brachytherapy sources — are licensed directly by MDE rather than by the NRC. MDE also registers and inspects diagnostic x-ray machines, including radiographic, fluoroscopic, mammographic, and CT equipment, under state authority.
In addition to MDE requirements, Baltimore facilities must meet federal standards where applicable. Mammography facilities operate under FDA oversight through the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA). Hospitals and outpatient imaging centers seeking Joint Commission accreditation must satisfy the Environment of Care radiation safety standards. ACR-accredited sites must meet modality-specific physics testing requirements. DRPS provides documentation and survey reports structured to satisfy all of these overlapping requirements simultaneously.
Why Baltimore Facilities Choose DRPS
Board-certified expertise, immediately deployable. DRPS physicists hold American Board of Radiology (ABR) certification in diagnostic medical physics and bring experience across hospital, freestanding imaging, and specialty clinic settings. Facilities can engage DRPS for a one-time survey, a specific accreditation deliverable, or an ongoing retained relationship.
Agreement State fluency. Maryland's Agreement State status means that radioactive materials licensing, amendment requests, and inspection preparation all run through MDE rather than the NRC. DRPS understands MDE's specific procedural requirements and submission standards, reducing turnaround friction for clients.
Metro-wide reach from a single point of contact. Whether a practice is located in the urban core, a suburban Baltimore County campus, or a satellite clinic in Harford or Carroll County, DRPS provides consistent service standards without requiring clients to manage multiple physics vendors across sites.
Documentation built for surveyors. Physics reports, shielding calculations, and RSO program records are prepared in formats that Maryland state inspectors and national accreditation reviewers expect — clear, complete, and traceable — so facilities are not caught scrambling when an inspection is announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does DRPS cover the full Baltimore metro, or only the city itself? DRPS serves the entire Baltimore–Columbia–Towson MSA, including Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, Howard County, Queen Anne's County, and Harford County. Facilities in Columbia, Towson, Annapolis, and Bel Air are all within our service area.
Who regulates radioactive materials in Maryland? Maryland is an NRC Agreement State. This means the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), Radiological Health Program, licenses and inspects radioactive materials users — not the NRC directly. DRPS prepares MDE license applications, amendment requests, and inspection documentation for clients.
What physics documentation does the ACR require for mammography accreditation in Maryland? ACR mammography accreditation requires a medical physicist survey report covering image quality, phantom imaging, and equipment performance tests conducted within the prior 14 months. The survey must be performed by a qualified medical physicist. DRPS provides ACR-formatted reports suitable for submission.
We are building a new imaging suite in Baltimore. Do we need a shielding design before construction? Yes. A radiation shielding design prepared by a qualified medical physicist is required before a new or renovated imaging room is occupied for patient use. The design must account for room workload, occupancy of adjacent areas, and applicable dose limits. DRPS provides signed shielding reports accepted by MDE and local building departments.
Can DRPS serve as our facility's designated Radiation Safety Officer? Yes. DRPS provides RSO services on a retained basis for facilities that do not have a full-time in-house physicist. This includes serving as the named RSO on MDE radioactive materials licenses, conducting required program reviews, and providing on-call consultation.