No. HB 711
Filed under Healthcare.
Central Service Technician Services; Defines terms "central service technician" and "health care practitioner"; requires licensed hospitals & ambulatory surgical centers to employ or otherwise retain services of central service technician only if he or she meets specified criteria; requires central service technicians who do not meet specified criteria to obtain certain certification within specified timeframe as condition of continued employment; requires central service technicians to complete specified number of continuing education hours annually as condition of continued employment; provides requirement for such continuing education; requires hospitals & ambulatory surgical centers to, upon written request of central service technician, verify in writing technician's dates of employment or contract period with facility.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDHospitals and ambulatory surgical centers may only employ or contract with a central service technician, the staff who sterilize reusable surgical instruments, if that person has passed a national exam and holds a recognized credential.
Anyone already working as a central service technician on or before December 31, 2026 is grandfathered in, but must still obtain the required credential within 18 months of their hire date to keep the job.
Certified technicians must also complete 10 hours of related continuing education every year to keep their job, and facilities must give a technician written proof of their employment dates on request.
The requirements do not apply to health care practitioners acting within their own license, students or interns under direct supervision, or anyone who already holds any nationally accredited health-services credential.
AIA hospital or ambulatory surgical center may only employ or retain a central service technician who has passed a nationally accredited exam and meets at least one additional credentialing or grandfather criterion.
AIA technician can satisfy the criteria simply by showing they were already employed as, or providing the services of, a central service technician at a licensed facility on or before December 31, 2026.
AIA technician who does not already meet the exam-and-credential requirement must obtain the certified registered or certified sterile processing and distribution technician credential within 18 months of their hire date to keep working.
AIA qualified central service technician must complete at least 10 hours of continuing education related to the job every year to remain employed in the role.
AIA licensed facility must, upon a technician's written request, provide written verification of that technician's dates of employment or contract period with the facility.
AIA person who already holds a registration, certification, or license from a nationally accredited credentialing organization to perform health services is exempt from this section entirely, regardless of what that credential covers.