Florida Senate - 2023 SB 962
By Senator Calatayud
38-00710-23 2023962__
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 continuing education as a condition of
15 continued employment; providing a requirement for such
16 continuing education; requiring hospitals and
17 ambulatory surgical centers to, upon the written
18 request of a central service technician, verify in
19 writing the technician’s dates of employment or
20 contract period with the facility; providing
21 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 hospitals and ambulatory surgical
31 centers in this state meets minimum requirements for safe
32 practice as a member of the surgical care team. It is the intent
33 of the Legislature that central service technicians who fall
34 below minimum competency or who otherwise present a danger to
35 public health and safety be prohibited from practicing in this
36 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, 2023.
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 from the date of hire in order to continue employment
65 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, 2023.