PRINTER'S NO. 1674
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
1135
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY WARD, RAFFERTY, VULAKOVICH AND BROWNE,
APRIL 18, 2018
REFERRED TO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, APRIL 18, 2018
AN ACT
Providing for certification of central service technicians;
imposing continuing education requirements on central service
technicians; and providing for duties of hospitals and
ambulatory surgical facilities and the Department of Health.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Central
Service Technician Certification Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Allied health professional." A person who holds and
maintains a registration, certification or license to perform
health care services by a state or a nationally accredited
credentialing organization.
"Ambulatory surgical facility." As defined in section 802.1
of the act of July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), known as the
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Health Care Facilities Act.
"Central service technician." A person who provides the
services of inspecting, assembling, decontamination,
preparation, packaging and sterilization of reusable medical
instruments or devices in a hospital or an ambulatory surgical
facility.
"Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
"Health care practitioner." As defined in section 103 of
the Health Care Facilities Act.
"Hospital." As defined in section 802.1 of the Health Care
Facilities Act.
Section 3. Certification.
(a) General rule.--No person may function as a central
service technician in a health care facility and no health care
facility may employ or otherwise contract for the services of a
central service technician unless the person has successfully
passed a nationally accredited central service exam for central
service technicians and holds and maintains one of the following
credentials:
(1) Certified registered central service technician
credential.
(2) Certified sterile processing and distribution
technician credential.
(b) Exemption.--The certification requirement under
subsection (a) shall not apply to a person who has been employed
or otherwise contracted for services as a central service
technician in a hospital or ambulatory surgical facility on or
before December 31, 2018.
Section 4. Employment and continuing education.
(a) New employees.--A central service technician who fails
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to comply with the requirements under section 3 shall have 18
months from the date of hire to comply with the requirements of
section 3.
(b) Continuing education.--A person who qualifies as a
central service technician in a hospital or an ambulatory
surgical facility under section 3 shall annually complete 10
hours of continuing education to remain qualified as a central
service technician. The continuing education required under this
subsection shall be in areas related to the functions of a
central service technician.
(c) Facility responsibility.--
(1) A hospital or ambulatory surgical facility shall
maintain documentation to verify that a person complies with
the requirements under section 3(a).
(2) If a person fails to comply with the requirements
under section 3(a), a hospital or ambulatory surgical
facility shall maintain documentation of a central service
technician's dates of employment or the contract period when
the central service technician provided services to the
hospital or ambulatory surgical facility to verify that the
central service technician satisfies the exemption
requirements under section 3(b).
Section 5. Health care practitioners and allied health
professionals.
Nothing in this act shall be construed to prohibit any of the
following persons from performing the tasks or functions of a
central service technician:
(1) A health care practitioner.
(2) An allied health professional.
(3) A dental assistant or an individual who is licensed
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or registered under the act of May 1, 1933 (P.L.216, No.76),
known as The Dental Law.
(4) A student or intern who performs the functions of a
central service technician under the direct supervision of a
health care practitioner or an allied health professional as
part of the student's or intern's training or internship.
Section 6. Departmental duties.
The department shall administer the provisions of this act
and promulgate and adopt such regulations as may be necessary to
implement this act.
Section 7. Effective date.
This act shall take effect January 1, 2019.
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