ALBANY—The New York State Senate and Assembly this week passed legislation that requires central service technicians to be certified and undergo continuing education credits.
Central service technicians play an important role in the delivery of patient care. These professionals are responsible for ensuring that instrumentation and equipment used in medical and surgical procedures are properly cleaned, disinfected, inspected, and sterilized prior to patient use.
"Today, New York patients in our healthcare facilities will be safer from the spread of infections. Our central service technicians are the first line of defense in maintaining quality control to prevent and control the spread of infection," said Sen. Mark Grisanti.
Assemblyman Harry Bronson added, “Technicians need to be properly trained on how to clean medical equipment to prevent and control the spread of infection."
On June 18, the N.Y. State Assembly passed sterile-processing legislation titled A.8620-c (Bronson). The International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM) has long been an outspoken advocate of state certification of central service technicians, and is pleased with the legislation.
“Certification of central service technicianswill help drive positive patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs overall," said Josephine Colacci, JD, director of government affairs for IAHCSMM. "I applaud Senator Grisanti and Assemblyman Bronson for their efforts in getting these bills passed. In my career, I have worked with state legislators across the country and I have never seen more tenacity for this issue than exemplified by Senator Grisanti and Assemblyman Bronson."
