Diagnostic Radiation Physics Services (DRPS) provides board-certified medical physics and radiation safety consulting to healthcare facilities in Savannah and throughout coastal Georgia, including Chatham County, Pooler, Richmond Hill, and the Coastal Empire. DRPS supports hospitals, imaging centers, outpatient departments, and specialty practices that need responsive, credentialed physics coverage without the overhead of in-house physics staff.
Medical Physics Services in Savannah
DRPS delivers a comprehensive suite of medical physics services to Savannah-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, prepared for submission to the applicable Georgia regulator.
- 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, including phantom imaging, image quality review, and physicist report preparation.
- CT Physics Testing and Optimization: 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: Acceptance testing, performance characterization, and ongoing QA consultation for PET/CT systems and nuclear medicine departments.
- Quality Assurance Programs: Development and implementation of facility-specific QA programs aligned with applicable standards and accreditation requirements.
Georgia Radiation Regulations
Healthcare facilities in Savannah are subject to oversight by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (X-ray) and Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), Radioactive Materials Program. Georgia splits radiation oversight between two agencies. Radiation machines must be registered with the Georgia Department of Community Health under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 111-8-90, while radioactive materials are licensed by the Radioactive Materials Program of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (Department of Natural Resources) under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-3-17. Georgia became an NRC Agreement State effective December 15, 1969.
Federal and accreditation standards apply alongside state rules. Mammography facilities must meet the federal Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA), which requires annual surveys by a qualified medical physicist, and ACR, IAC, Joint Commission, and other accrediting bodies impose their own physics and QA requirements. DRPS tracks current Georgia requirements and these overlapping national standards to keep Savannah-area clients compliant.
Why Savannah Facilities Choose DRPS
Board-Certified Expertise. DRPS physicists hold American Board of Radiology (ABR) certification in diagnostic medical physics — the credential that matters for MQSA compliance and ACR accreditation.
Regional Coverage. DRPS serves facilities across coastal Georgia, providing consistent coverage for multi-site health systems and imaging networks.
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 credentialed physics expertise on a consulting basis, without the cost of a full-time physics hire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Georgia require annual medical physics surveys for diagnostic X-ray equipment? Survey frequency depends on equipment type and the standards that apply to your facility. MQSA mandates annual surveys for mammography; Georgia regulations and accreditation standards govern frequency for other modalities. DRPS can review your equipment inventory and establish a compliant survey schedule.
Who regulates radioactive materials licenses in Savannah? Georgia is an NRC Agreement State (effective December 15, 1969). Radioactive materials licenses are issued by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's Radioactive Materials Program; X-ray registration is handled separately by the Georgia Department of Community Health. DRPS can assist with license applications, amendments, and ongoing compliance support.
Does DRPS serve facilities outside Savannah proper? Yes. DRPS provides physics services across coastal Georgia, including Chatham County, Pooler, Richmond Hill, and the Coastal Empire.
What is required for a new CT scanner installation in Georgia? New CT installations typically require a shielding design before construction, acceptance testing by a qualified medical physicist, state registration, and — for ACR-accredited sites — physicist documentation for the accreditation record. 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 need a full-time in-house RSO, including oversight of radioactive materials programs, staff training, audit support, and regulatory correspondence.