The International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management and the Central Service profession scored a big win in June when the New York State Senate and Assembly passed legislation that requires CS technicians to become certified and undergo continuing education credits. Now that the Senate and Assembly have passed the bill [Assembly: A.8620-c (Bronson); Senate: S.5155-d (Grisanti)], the next step is to await the Governor’s decision. Once the New York Assembly transmits the bill to the Governor (which, at press time, has not yet occurred), he will have 30 days to sign or veto the bill.

IAHCSMM has long been an outspoken advocate of state certification of CS technicians, and has consistently stressed that state certification will play a vital role in promoting professionalism, ongoing knowledge advancement and, above all, patient safety. CS professionals play a most important role in the delivery of patient care because they 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.

"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 New York Senator Mark Grisanti. As New York Assemblyman Harry Bronson added, "Technicians need to be properly trained on how to clean medical equipment to prevent and control the spread of infection."

Certification of CS technicians will help drive positive patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs overall, added 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."

Advancements drive need

As any CS professional can attest, the discipline is anything but static. New surgical instruments and procedures are a consistent reality, and many of these devices are smaller and more intricately-designed, which can present a challenge for CS professionals who must disassemble, clean, disinfect, sterilize, assemble, and otherwise manage them. Advanced technical knowledge is essential for ensuring that CS professionals maintain the high degree of competency required to manage instrumentation safety and effectively; certification and the continuing education required to maintain that designation will go a long way toward driving consistent practice quality and promoting patient safety.

"Certification will keep technicians educated on standards-based instrument processing practices so these professionals can perform their jobs safely and effectively while keeping quality and patient safety at the forefront," noted Steve Maley, CSPDM, CHL, President, New York State Association of Central Service Professionals.

While New Jersey is currently the sole state in the nation to require certification of CS technicians, IAHCSMM is cautiously optimistic that the recent legislative news in New York is a preview of more positive developments to come. As the Association and its members anxiously await the New York Governor’s decision on the bill, the ball is also rolling in other states. Legislation has been introduced in Pennsylvania and numerous other states are actively educating state-elected officials on the CS technicians’ critical role.

"We are definitely making positive strides," Colacci stressed. "The next state to pass legislation will likely be the tipping point for many others to follow. This is why education and awareness is so critical."

IAHCSMM will be sure to report on the Governor’s decision as soon as that news becomes available. IAHCSMM will also be posting updates on its twitter feed at https://twitter.com/#!/IAHCSMM, and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/IAHCSMM/139595532803469.