Diagnostic Radiation Physics Services (DRPS) provides medical physics consulting and radiation safety services to healthcare facilities throughout Miami and South Florida. Miami is the principal city of Miami-Dade County and the economic and cultural center of a tri-county metropolitan area — Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach — that represents the most populous region in Florida. The immediate Miami-Dade County area borders Monroe County to the south and west (including the Florida Keys) and Collier County to the west. DRPS serves imaging centers, outpatient radiology practices, hospitals, and multi-site health systems across this region, from urban Miami neighborhoods to suburban communities such as Coral Gables, Hialeah, Doral, and Homestead.
Medical Physics Services in Miami
DRPS delivers a complete portfolio of diagnostic medical physics services tailored to the demands of imaging facilities in Miami-Dade County and the greater South Florida region.
Equipment Performance Evaluations (EPEs) — Scheduled and on-demand physics testing for general radiography, fluoroscopy, mammography, CT, PET/CT, nuclear medicine, and bone densitometry (DXA). EPE reports document equipment performance against applicable national standards and regulatory requirements, supporting QA programs and accreditation submissions.
Radiation Shielding Design and Certification — Site-specific shielding calculations for new construction, equipment replacements, and renovations. In Miami's dense urban and high-rise environment, shielding design must account for adjacent occupancies on multiple floors and in neighboring suites. DRPS prepares shielding design reports and post-construction radiation surveys with written certification letters acceptable to the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Radiation Control.
Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) Services — Named RSO services for Miami facilities holding Florida radioactive materials licenses, including program administration, radiation safety committee support, personnel dosimetry oversight, and regulatory correspondence with the Bureau of Radiation Control.
Accreditation Support — Physics testing and documentation for ACR (American College of Radiology), IAC (Intersocietal Accreditation Commission), RadSite, and Joint Commission accreditation programs. DRPS prepares site survey reports, phantom image reviews, and physicist attestations formatted to each accrediting body's requirements.
CT Physics Testing — Comprehensive CT performance evaluations covering image quality, dose metrics (CTDIvol, DLP), scanner calibration, and protocol review. Services support dose optimization initiatives and fulfill the annual CT physicist survey requirements for ACR CT accreditation.
PET/CT and Nuclear Medicine Physics — Acceptance testing, annual performance evaluations, and radiation safety oversight for PET/CT systems and nuclear medicine departments, including source calibration verification, uniformity testing, and PET accreditation support through the ACR.
Quality Assurance Programs — Structured QA program design, physicist oversight, and technologist training to support ongoing compliance between scheduled physics visits.
Florida Radiation Regulations
Florida is an NRC Agreement State. The Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Radiation Control (BRC), administers the state radiation control program under the Florida Radiation Protection Act (Chapter 404, Florida Statutes). The BRC licenses radioactive materials users — including hospitals, nuclear medicine facilities, and PET centers — and registers X-ray-producing equipment throughout Florida.
Miami facilities must maintain current X-ray registration with the BRC and, if they possess or use radioactive materials (including PET radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine isotopes), hold an active BRC radioactive materials license with a designated RSO.
At the national level, mammography facilities must comply with FDA/MQSA requirements, and facilities seeking ACR, IAC, or Joint Commission accreditation must satisfy the physics testing and documentation standards set by those bodies. DRPS stays current with BRC inspection cycles and accreditation timelines to help Miami facilities avoid lapses in compliance.
Why Miami Facilities Choose DRPS
South Florida's imaging market presents distinct operational challenges. High patient volumes, multilingual clinical environments, and the concentration of specialized care — including oncology centers, cardiac imaging, and research-affiliated facilities — create demanding physics and radiation safety requirements. At the same time, Miami's urban density means that new construction and equipment replacement projects often involve technically complex shielding designs in multi-story or co-located occupancy settings.
DRPS provides board-certified diagnostic medical physicists (DABR) with breadth across the full diagnostic imaging spectrum. Our consultants deliver clear, written deliverables — EPE reports, shielding design packages, RSO program documentation, and accreditation physics submissions — that meet BRC regulatory standards and satisfy ACR, IAC, and other accreditors without unnecessary revision cycles.
For multi-site South Florida healthcare systems managing accreditation across multiple facilities, DRPS provides coordinated scheduling and consistent reporting formats that simplify administration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What areas of South Florida does DRPS serve? DRPS serves facilities throughout Miami-Dade County, including the City of Miami and suburban communities such as Coral Gables, Hialeah, Doral, Miami Gardens, Homestead, and surrounding areas. Services also extend to Broward and Palm Beach counties within the broader South Florida region.
Does Florida require a medical physics survey for mammography units? Yes. FDA/MQSA regulations require an annual mammography physics survey performed by a qualified medical physicist. The survey must address image quality, phantom imaging, dose measurements, and equipment performance. DRPS performs MQSA-compliant mammography surveys and delivers reports in the format required by MQSA and accrediting bodies.
What radioactive materials licensing is required for a Miami PET/CT facility? PET/CT facilities using radiopharmaceuticals must hold a Florida BRC radioactive materials license and designate a qualified RSO. DRPS can serve as the named RSO for PET/CT and nuclear medicine operations and can assist with license applications and amendments.
My Miami facility is planning a new CT room. What shielding services does DRPS provide? DRPS performs site-specific shielding calculations based on your workload data, room geometry, and neighboring occupancies. We prepare a written shielding design report for permitting and then conduct a post-construction radiation survey with a written certification letter documenting compliance.
Can DRPS support ACR accreditation for multiple modalities at a single Miami facility? Yes. DRPS provides ACR accreditation physics support for mammography, CT, nuclear medicine, PET, and other modalities under a single engagement, coordinating report formatting and submission timing to streamline your accreditation process.