Pennsylvania Legislature Looks at Allied Health Care Providers

Pennsylvania HB 81, the Central Service Technician and Surgical Technologist Regulation Act, was introduced January 28, 2019, has passed out of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and is now under consideration in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. The bill provides for the certification of central service technicians and regulates the practice of surgical technology and surgical technologists.

HB 81 defines a central service technician as an individual who provides the services of inspecting, assembling, decontamination, preparation, packaging and sterilization of reusable medical instruments or devices in a hospital or surgical facility. The bill also sets forth requirements for central service technicians to pass a nationally accredited central service exam for central service technicians and to hold and maintain credentials for certified registered central service technician and/or certified sterile processing and distribution technician.

HB 81 also defines surgical technology and sets forth requirements for health care facilities employing or contracting for the services of a surgical technologist. A surgical technologist must meet education, training and compliance criteria in order to be employed or contract with a health care facility.

Nothing in the bill prohibits a person who holds or maintains a registration, certification or license by a nationally accredited credentialing organization to perform these health services.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly previously passed an RN circulator bill in 2010 to require a registered nurse to be the circulating nurse in an operating room for the safety of the patient. Only a registered nurse, licensed in the state, qualified by training and experience in operating room nursing shall function as a circulating nurse during all surgical procedures performed in an operating room of a health care facility.

AORN will continue to monitor the progress of HB 81 and similar allied health certification efforts and provide updates to members as needed.