Florida Senate - 2024                                    SB 1076
       
       
        
       By Senator Calatayud
       
       
       
       
       
       38-01663-24                                           20241076__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to central service technician
    3         services; creating s. 395.1075, F.S.; providing
    4         legislative purpose and intent; defining the terms
    5         “central service technician” and “health care
    6         practitioner”; authorizing licensed hospitals and
    7         ambulatory surgical centers to employ or otherwise
    8         retain the services of a central service technician
    9         only if he or she meets specified criteria; requiring
   10         central service technicians who do not meet specified
   11         criteria to obtain a certain certification within a
   12         specified timeframe as a condition of continued
   13         employment; requiring central service technicians to
   14         complete a specified number of continuing education
   15         hours annually as a condition of continued employment;
   16         providing a requirement for such continuing education;
   17         requiring hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers
   18         to, upon the written request of a central service
   19         technician, verify in writing the technician’s dates
   20         of employment or contract period with the facility;
   21         providing applicability; providing an effective date.
   22          
   23  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   24  
   25         Section 1. Section 395.1075, Florida Statutes, is created
   26  to read:
   27         395.1075 Central service technician services.—
   28         (1) LEGISLATIVE PURPOSE AND INTENT.—The legislative purpose
   29  for enacting this section is to ensure that every new central
   30  service technician employed by a hospital or an ambulatory
   31  surgical center in this state meets minimum requirements for
   32  safe practice as a member of the surgical care team. It is the
   33  intent of the Legislature that central service technicians who
   34  fall below minimum competency or who otherwise present a danger
   35  to public health and safety be prohibited from practicing in
   36  this state.
   37         (2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   38         (a) “Central service technician” means a person who
   39  decontaminates, inspects, assembles, disassembles, packages, and
   40  sterilizes reusable medical instruments or devices for use in a
   41  licensed facility.
   42         (b) “Health care practitioner” has the same meaning as in
   43  s. 456.001.
   44         (3) CERTIFICATION AND CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR
   45  CENTRAL SERVICE TECHNICIANS.—
   46         (a) A licensed facility may employ or otherwise retain the
   47  services of a central service technician only if such person has
   48  successfully passed a nationally accredited exam for central
   49  service technicians and meets at least one of the following
   50  criteria:
   51         1. Holds and maintains a certified registered central
   52  service technician credential issued by a nationally accredited
   53  central service credentialing organization.
   54         2. Holds and maintains a certified sterile processing and
   55  distribution technician credential issued by a nationally
   56  accredited central service credentialing organization.
   57         3. Provides evidence that he or she was employed by or
   58  provided services of a central service technician to a licensed
   59  facility on or before December 31, 2024.
   60         (b) A central service technician who does not meet the
   61  requirements of paragraph (a) must obtain the required certified
   62  registered central service technician credential or certified
   63  sterile processing and distribution technician credential within
   64  18 months after his or her date of hire in order to continue
   65  employment as a central service technician.
   66         (c) A person who qualifies under paragraph (a) to practice
   67  as a central service technician in a licensed facility must
   68  annually complete at least 10 hours of continuing education
   69  credits to continue employment as a central service technician.
   70  The continuing education must be related to the functions of a
   71  central service technician.
   72         (d) A licensed facility shall, upon the written request of
   73  a central service technician, verify, in writing, the central
   74  service technician’s dates of employment or the contract period
   75  during which the central service technician provided services to
   76  the licensed facility.
   77         (4) EXEMPTIONS.—This section does not apply to:
   78         (a) A health care practitioner if he or she is acting
   79  within the scope of his or her license or certification.
   80         (b) A student or an intern if he or she is performing the
   81  functions of a central service technician under the direct
   82  supervision of a health care practitioner as part of the
   83  student’s or intern’s training or internship.
   84         (c) A person who holds and maintains a registration,
   85  certification, or license from a nationally accredited
   86  credentialing organization to perform health services.
   87         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.