Diagnostic Radiation Physics Services (DRPS) provides board-certified medical physics and radiation safety consulting to healthcare facilities throughout Norfolk and the broader Hampton Roads region. Norfolk is an independent city — not part of any surrounding county — and serves as the urban core of the Virginia Beach–Norfolk–Newport News MSA, a metropolitan area of approximately 1.79 million people (2023 estimate). The metro encompasses the independent cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg, as well as counties including Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews, Southampton, Surry, and York in Virginia, and Camden, Currituck, and Gates counties in North Carolina. Within the Southside of Hampton Roads — Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach — DRPS supports imaging centers, hospital outpatient departments, and specialty practices that require responsive, credentialed physics coverage without the overhead of in-house staff.
Medical Physics Services in Norfolk
DRPS delivers a comprehensive suite of medical physics services to Norfolk-area facilities:
- Equipment Performance Evaluations (EPEs): Annual and acceptance testing for radiographic, fluoroscopic, mammography, CT, and other imaging systems, supporting both regulatory compliance and clinical optimization.
- Radiation Shielding Design and Certification: Structural shielding calculations and design documentation for new construction, renovation, or equipment upgrades. DRPS prepares reports suitable for submission to the Virginia Department of Health.
- Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) Services: Consulting RSO support for facilities with radioactive materials programs or complex radiation safety needs, including license maintenance, staff training, and regulatory correspondence.
- Accreditation Support: Preparation and documentation support for ACR, IAC, RadSite, and Joint Commission accreditation processes, including phantom imaging, image quality review, and physicist report preparation.
- CT Physics Testing and Optimization: Comprehensive CT acceptance and annual testing per ACR and AAPM guidance, including dose assessment, image quality benchmarking, and protocol review.
- PET/CT and Nuclear Medicine Physics: Physics support for PET/CT systems and nuclear medicine departments, including acceptance testing, performance characterization, and ongoing QA consultation.
- Quality Assurance Programs: Development and implementation of facility-specific QA programs aligned with applicable standards and accreditation requirements.
Virginia Radiation Regulations
Healthcare facilities operating in Norfolk are subject to oversight by the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Radiological Health. Virginia became an NRC Agreement State on March 31, 2009, meaning the VDH — not the NRC directly — licenses the use of radioactive materials within the Commonwealth. Facilities that possess radioactive materials, including those used in nuclear medicine and PET/CT, must hold a VDH radioactive materials license and comply with Virginia's radiation protection regulations.
X-ray producing equipment in Virginia, including diagnostic and interventional imaging systems, mammography units, and CT scanners, is registered with the VDH. Facilities are responsible for ensuring that registered equipment meets applicable performance standards and that required physics surveys are conducted and documented on schedule.
In addition to state requirements, federal and accreditation standards apply in many settings. Mammography facilities are subject to the federal Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA), which mandates annual medical physics surveys by a qualified medical physicist. ACR, Joint Commission, and other accrediting bodies impose their own physics and QA requirements. DRPS maintains current knowledge of VDH regulations and these overlapping national standards to keep Norfolk-area clients on solid compliance footing.
Why Norfolk Facilities Choose DRPS
Board-Certified Expertise. DRPS physicists hold certification from the American Board of Radiology (ABR) in diagnostic medical physics. Certification matters for MQSA compliance, ACR accreditation eligibility, and VDH licensing expectations.
Regional Responsiveness. DRPS serves facilities across the Hampton Roads metro, enabling consistent coverage for multi-site health systems and networks that span the Southside cities and the Peninsula.
Integrated Compliance and Accreditation Support. Physics surveys, shielding documentation, and accreditation physicist reports are coordinated under a single engagement, reducing administrative burden and eliminating gaps between deliverables.
No In-House Overhead. Facilities gain access to credentialed physics expertise on a consulting basis, without the cost or management complexity of a full-time physics hire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Virginia require annual medical physics surveys for diagnostic X-ray equipment? Survey frequency requirements vary by equipment type and the standards applicable to your facility. MQSA mandates annual surveys for mammography. VDH regulations and accreditation standards govern frequency for other modalities. DRPS can assess your specific equipment inventory and help establish a compliant survey schedule.
Who regulates radioactive materials licenses in Norfolk? Virginia is an NRC Agreement State as of March 31, 2009. The Virginia Department of Health, Office of Radiological Health, issues and oversees radioactive materials licenses in the Commonwealth. Facilities do not apply directly to the NRC. DRPS can assist with license applications, amendments, and ongoing compliance support.
Does DRPS serve facilities outside Norfolk proper in the Hampton Roads area? Yes. DRPS provides physics services across the Hampton Roads metro, including Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, and surrounding counties on both sides of the Virginia–North Carolina border.
What is required for a new CT scanner installation in Virginia? New CT installations typically require acceptance testing by a qualified medical physicist, registration with VDH, and — if the facility is ACR-accredited — physicist documentation as part of the accreditation record. Shielding design must be completed and approved before installation if construction or renovation is involved. DRPS handles shielding calculations, acceptance testing, and the associated documentation.
Can DRPS serve as our facility's Radiation Safety Officer? Yes. DRPS offers consulting RSO services for facilities that do not require a full-time in-house RSO. This includes oversight of radioactive materials programs, staff training, audit support, and primary contact with VDH on regulatory matters.