Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1138
By Senator Calatayud
38-00753A-25 20251138__
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 upon the written request of a central service
19 technician, to verify in writing the technician’s
20 dates of employment or contract period with the
21 facility; providing applicability; providing an
22 effective date.
23
24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
25
26 Section 1. Section 395.1075, Florida Statutes, is created
27 to read:
28 395.1075 Central service technician services.—
29 (1) LEGISLATIVE PURPOSE AND INTENT.—The legislative purpose
30 for enacting this section is to ensure that every new central
31 service technician employed by a hospital or an ambulatory
32 surgical center in this state meets minimum requirements for
33 safe practice as a member of the surgical care team. It is the
34 intent of the Legislature that central service technicians who
35 fall below minimum competency or who otherwise present a danger
36 to public health and safety be prohibited from practicing in
37 this state.
38 (2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
39 (a) “Central service technician” means a person who
40 decontaminates, inspects, assembles, disassembles, packages, and
41 sterilizes reusable medical instruments or devices for use by a
42 licensed facility.
43 (b) “Health care practitioner” has the same meaning as in
44 s. 456.001.
45 (3) CERTIFICATION AND CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR
46 CENTRAL SERVICE TECHNICIANS.—
47 (a) A licensed facility may employ or otherwise retain the
48 services of a central service technician only if such person has
49 successfully passed a nationally accredited exam for central
50 service technicians and meets at least one of the following
51 criteria:
52 1. Holds and maintains a certified registered central
53 service technician credential issued by a nationally accredited
54 central service credentialing organization.
55 2. Holds and maintains a certified sterile processing and
56 distribution technician credential issued by a nationally
57 accredited central service credentialing organization.
58 3. Provides evidence that he or she was employed by or
59 provided the services of a central service technician to a
60 licensed facility on or before December 31, 2026.
61 (b) A central service technician who does not meet the
62 requirements of paragraph (a) must obtain the required certified
63 registered central service technician credential or certified
64 sterile processing and distribution technician credential within
65 18 months after his or her date of hire in order to continue
66 employment as a central service technician.
67 (c) A person who qualifies under paragraph (a) to practice
68 as a central service technician in a licensed facility must
69 complete at least 10 hours of continuing education annually to
70 continue employment as a central service technician. The
71 continuing education must be related to the functions of a
72 central service technician.
73 (d) A licensed facility shall, upon the written request of
74 a central service technician, verify, in writing, the central
75 service technician’s dates of employment or the contract period
76 during which the central service technician provided services to
77 the licensed facility.
78 (4) EXEMPTIONS.—This section does not apply to:
79 (a) A health care practitioner if he or she is acting
80 within the scope of his or her license or certification.
81 (b) A student or an intern if he or she is performing the
82 functions of a central service technician under the direct
83 supervision of a health care practitioner as part of the
84 student’s or intern’s training or internship.
85 (c) A person who holds and maintains a registration,
86 certification, or license from a nationally accredited
87 credentialing organization to perform health services.
88 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.