SESSION WATCH
THE BILL ITSELF

HB 711

Central Service Technician Services

VERSION H 711 Filed · BACK TO THE SUMMARY · OFFICIAL RECORD

underlined language is being added; struck language is being deleted. Line numbers are the Legislature's own — the same ones amendments cite.

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"; requiring 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.
23 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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
29 purpose for enacting this section is to ensure that every new
30 central service technician employed by a hospital or an
31 ambulatory surgical center in this state meets minimum
32 requirements for safe practice as a member of the surgical care
33 team. It is the intent of the Legislature that central service
34 technicians who fall below minimum competency or who otherwise
35 present a danger to public health and safety be prohibited from
36 practicing in 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
45 FOR CENTRAL SERVICE TECHNICIANS.—
46 (a) A licensed facility shall employ or otherwise retain
47 the services of a central service technician only if such person
48 has 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, 2026.
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, 2026.