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Our address and telephone numbers are:

West Physics
3825 Paces Walk SE
Suite 250
Atlanta, GA 30339

770-435-9186 • 1-866-275-9378 • FAX 770-599-2333

Office Hours: West Physics maintains liberal office hours for the convenience of our customers nationwide.

Monday-Friday:

9AM – 8PM Eastern Time
8AM – 7PM Central Time
7AM – 6PM Mountain Time
6AM – 5PM Pacific Time

Closed Weekends & U.S. National Holidays

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News & Events

Dose Optimization Programs

With accreditation bodies, regulatory bodies, members of the public, facility staff and others worried more and more every day about radiation doses from medical imaging procedures, it is essential that your hospital, imaging center or private practice look at this issue seriously and ensure that it is reducing doses as much as possible. But how do you know if the radiation dose from your CT, fluoroscopy or radiography protocols is as low as possible while still providing excellent diagnostic images? How do members of the public know that they are protected properly and that they can trust your site with themselves or their children? What can you do to ensure that you meet the latest guidelines, regulations and standards?

Optimizing radiation dose is a complex process. To do it properly requires training of technologists, image quality consultation with radiologists, investigation of new hardware and software options and equipment, review and improvement of policies and procedures, and a host of other steps. Plus, how do you properly measure your progress, compare it to industry standards, and articulate your success to your clients, referring physicians and accreditation bodies?

While the process is complex, the answer is simple. Hire a radiation expert to set you on the right course and keep you there. Our diagnostic medical physicists are trained to evaluate the starting dose situation at a facility, draw up a multi-element plan to improve it, and then properly verify and communicate the end result. It is not enough to involve the OEM, technologist and radiologist. You need a professional who is trained in radiation dosimetry, intimately familiar with all of the relevant standards (Joint Commission, ACR, IAC, State, Federal, Image Gently, Image Wisely, California SB 1237, etc.), and can ensure that your investment in time and money to address this important issue is spent wisely. To reduce dose, you have to consider numerous questions: Should you upgrade your scanners with new dose reduction features? Would it be better to invest in dose monitoring software? Are all of your protocols optimized and if not, how exactly do you ensure that they are? Are all your staff trained in dose optimization?

West Physics leads the medical physics industry in providing turn-key CT, fluoroscopy and radiography Dose Reduction Programs to facilities that measure doses, lower doses, help you make optimal decisions about new equipment or software, train staff, and provide information to your patients and staff about what has been done to keep them safe. In many cases, expensive scanner upgrades are NOT what is needed to reduce your doses – what is needed is proper patient dose tracking and analysis, protocol optimization and staff training. Let us help you put all the pieces together.

Our Dose Reduction Programs include the following elements:

  • Dose and Image Quality Testing
  • Protocol Optimization
  • Dose Action Level Setup
  • Dose-related Policies and Procedures (P&P) Review and Feedback
  • Participation in JC- and State-required Protocol Review Committees
  • Technologist and Radiologist Dose Awareness and Reduction Training
  • Dose Strategy Consultation
  • Dose Reduction Certificate
  • Patient Dose Reduction Brochure
  • Staff Q&A Session and Training Checkups
  • Annual Dose and Image Quality Retesting
  • Annual Dose Reduction Review
  • Ongoing Protocol Refinement and Dose Action Level Checkups
  • Ongoing consultation

Special Note: As part of our dose reduction programs, we are also pleased to provide expert setup, maintenance and oversight of customer dose tracking software packages. Our staff is experienced at working with Bayer Radimetrics, GE DoseWatch, PACSHealth DoseMonitor, and many more! Let a radiation safety professional help you manage your dose tracking and reduction program optimally, and in full compliance with the latest Joint Commission and ACR guidelines.

All of these elements add up to a simple, turn-key comprehensive Dose Reduction Program that will put your facility on solid footing with respect to dose reduction and ensure that you are taking the right steps to lower doses.

Please contact us today for more information about the individual elements of this service and for a no-obligation quote!

Joint Commission Accreditation

On June 25, 2018, The Joint Commission published updated imaging standards for accredited hospitals, critical access hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and office-based surgery centers providing fluoroscopy services. Five new standards, which impact facilities performing general and interventional fluoroscopy services, took effect on January 1, 2019 in addition to two more standards that were revised on July 1, 2018, and mandate a broad range of quality and safety activities and practices. Joint Commission accredited facilities will be expected to comply with these new standards in addition to any other applicable state or federal regulations, or applicable ACR or IAC accreditation standards.

The two revised 2018 Elements of Performance (EPs) address the Environment of Care (EC) area. These are:

  • EC.02.02.01 – Organization manages risks related to hazardous materials and waste
    • EP 7. The organization minimizes risks associated with the selection and use of hazardous energy sources, including x-ray equipment. This EP now includes shielding for fluoroscopy.
    • EP 17. The results of staff dosimetry monitoring are reviewed at least quarterly by the radiation safety officer, a diagnostic medical physicist, or a health physicist. This EP now includes dosimetry from fluoroscopy services.

The five new 2019 Elements of Performance (EPs) that came into effect January 1, 2019 are:

  • EC.02.04.03 – Organization inspects, tests, and maintains medical equipment
    • EP 34. A diagnostic medical physicist conducts an annual performance evaluation of fluoroscopic imaging equipment.
  • HR.01.05.03 – Staff participate in ongoing education and training
    • EP 15. Accredited organization verifies and documents that individuals (including physicians, non-physicians, and ancillary personnel) who use fluoroscopic equipment participate in ongoing annual radiation safety education.
  • PC.01.02.15 – Organization provides for diagnostic testing
    • EP 13. The accredited organization ensures the cumulative-air kerma or kerma area product is documented in a retrievable format, or if the equipment is incapable of recording those metrics, fluoroscopy time and number of images.
  • PC.02.01.01 – Organization provides care, treatment, and services for each patient
    • EP 30. The accredited organization identifies radiation exposure and skin dose threshold levels.
  • PI.02.01.01 – Organization complies and analyzes data
    • EP 20. The accredited organization reviews and analyzes instances where the radiation exposure and skin threshold levels identified by the organization are exceeded.

Additionally, if a facility has not previously been required to appoint a Radiation Safety Officer, the following new EP in the Leadership (LD) category also applies:

  • LD.04.01.05 – Organization effectively manages its programs. services, or sites
    • EP 25. The organization designates an individual to serve as the radiation safety officer, who is responsible for making certain that radiologic services are provided in accordance with law, regulation, and organizational policy.

West Physics has unique expertise and experience to help facilities comply with ALL of these new standards and we have developed a set of services for individual facilities as well as networks to efficiently and quickly address the standards. Whether you require assistance with only those new requirements that specifically require a medical physicist, or you prefer a turn-key integrated solution (to include all required equipment testing, staff training, establishing dose thresholds, RSO services, etc.), West Physics is capable of meeting your needs.

Ensure complete success during your next Joint Commission accreditation survey by selecting a medical and health physics provider that not only has a reputation as the premier provider of medical and health physics services in the nation, but also has intimate knowledge of the new standards and how to effectively and efficiently comply with them. Our physicists look forward to helping you meet the new standards in a simple, stress-free and cost-effective manner.

Please contact us today for a no-obligation quote.

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Annual/Periodic Physics Testing

Whether to meet Joint Commission, ACR, IAC or State regulatory requirements, diagnostic imaging equipment requires periodic (in most cases annual) performance testing by a qualified physicist. West Physics provides these quality assurance services in a prompt, expert, and convenient manner. Our clients, located throughout the United States, know that they can count on our team of professionals to perform this testing expediently and to all applicable standards. Whether your needs are in MRI, CT, PET, SPECT, mammography, ultrasound, radiography, or fluoroscopy, we employ state-of-the-art test equipment and highly-trained graduate-degreed physicists to assure you total compliance and maximum value.

All of West Physics’ annual services include:

  • on-site refresher training for technologists (with ASRT Category A credits available),
  • quality control records review and consultation,
  • a turn-key Quality Control / Policies and Procedures Binder (for ACR-accredited equipment),
  • unlimited telephone consulting for as long as you remain a client, and
  • flexible scheduling options, including weekend service (subject to availability).

We pride ourselves on not only ensuring your facility’s regulatory compliance, but also on making substantive improvements to your image quality. Our physicists are trained to communicate test results clearly and understandably, and work with your service personnel to resolve problems rapidly. This is why some of the most prestigious imaging centers and networks in the nation have chosen West Physics. Let us show you the West Physics difference!

Please contact us today for a no-obligation quote.

Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) Services

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  • LUTATHERA (lutetium Lu-77) experienced radiation safety physicists available on-staff, to help you navigate the unique radiation safety and regulatory management requirements to ensure your radiation safety & compliance
  • West Physics is able to provide a full range of RSO support for medical and non-medical facilities throughout the United States
  • Our physicists currently serve as active and involved RSO’s for numerous medical and
    non-medical facilities utilizing radiation emitting devices or radioactive byproducts
  • All of our physicists meet the training and experience requirements implemented by the NRC and the Agreement States and includes multiple former state and federal regulators

  • We can prepare all of your Radioactive Materials “RAM” license applications, amendments and renewals, and our expertise can prevent months of delays negotiating license conditions with regulators
  • We will ensure that your RAM license does not commit your facility to any unnecessary, expensive, and time-consuming compliance activities
  • We have extensive experience with multi-state operations, SPECT and PET/CT mobile operations, and other radiation producing modalities. These modalities demand special knowledge and experience and we have it
  • Our physicists will manage the personnel dosimetry review program to ensure ALARA principles are supported to minimize personnel radiation exposures to the safest levels
  • We can act as statutory or non-statutory RSO on your RAM License
  • Our RSO Service includes 24/7/365 technical and regulatory support

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