103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2653

 

Introduced 1/10/2024, by Sen. Doris Turner

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Operating Room Patient Safety Act. Provides that each surgical technologist hired or contracted by a health care facility on or after January 1, 2026 shall meet specified educational, certification, or experiential requirements. Provides that nothing in the Act prohibits an individual from performing surgical technology services if the individual is acting within the scope of the individual's license or registration or is a student or intern under the direct supervision of a licensed health care provider. Provides that a health care facility may employ or otherwise contract with an individual to perform surgical technology services and functions who does not meet those requirements if the health care facility makes a diligent and thorough effort and, after such an effort is completed, the facility is unable to employ or contract with a sufficient number of qualified surgical technologists who satisfy the requirements of the Act. Provides that the health care facility shall maintain documentation of its efforts.


LRB103 34583 RPS 64421 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2653LRB103 34583 RPS 64421 b

1    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Operating Room Patient Safety Act.
 
6    Section 3. Purpose. It is the public policy of the State
7that the State has a legitimate interest in ensuring that all
8surgical procedures are performed to ensure maximum patient
9safety. Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to:
10        (1) ensure that an operating room has been prepared by
11    qualified, trained professionals;
12        (2) ensure that surgical equipment and instruments are
13    properly sterilized and functioning safely;
14        (3) ensure that during surgical procedures, the
15    surgical team can rely on qualified, trained professionals
16    to ensure a sterile environment is maintained; and
17        (4) provide the surgical team with proper instruments
18    and supplies as requested.
 
19    Section 5. Definitions.
20    "Health care facility" means a facility regulated under
21the Hospital Licensing Act, the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment
22Center Act, or the University of Illinois Hospital Act.

 

 

SB2653- 2 -LRB103 34583 RPS 64421 b

1"Health care facility" does not include a health care facility
2that is a critical access hospital as designated by the
3Department of Public Health in accordance with 42 CFR 485,
4Subpart F, a rural emergency hospital as defined under
5subsection (kkk)(2) of Section 1861 of the federal Social
6Security Act, or a hospital that qualifies as a Safety-Net
7Hospital under Section 5-5e.1 of the Illinois Public Aid Code.
8    "Surgical technologist" means an individual who is
9employed by or contracts with a health care facility to
10perform surgical technology services and functions.
11    "Surgical technology services" means surgical patient care
12including, but not limited to, one or more of the following:
13        (1) preparation of an operating room and the sterile
14    operating field for surgical procedures by ensuring that
15    surgical equipment is functioning properly and safely and
16    using sterile techniques to prepare surgical supplies
17    instruments and equipment;
18        (2) intraoperative anticipation and response to the
19    needs of surgeons, nurses, and other surgical team members
20    by monitoring the sterile operating field in an operating
21    room and providing the required instruments or supplies;
22        (3) performance of tasks at the sterile operating
23    field, as directed in an operating room setting,
24    including:
25            (A) passing surgical supplies, instruments, and
26        equipment directly to a health care provider;

 

 

SB2653- 3 -LRB103 34583 RPS 64421 b

1            (B) sponging or suctioning an operative site;
2            (C) preparing and cutting suture material;
3            (D) transferring and irrigating with fluids;
4            (E) transferring, but not administering, drugs
5        within the sterile field; or
6            (F) handling surgical specimens.
 
7    Section 10. Requirements for surgical technologists. Each
8surgical technologist hired or contracted by a health care
9facility on or after January 1, 2026 shall meet one or more of
10the following requirements:
11        (1) The surgical technologist has successfully
12    completed an educational program nationally accredited by
13    the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education
14    Programs or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education
15    Schools for surgical technologists and holds and maintains
16    a certified surgical technologist credential administered
17    by a nationally recognized surgical technologist
18    certifying body accredited by the National Commission for
19    Certifying Agencies and recognized by the American College
20    of Surgeons and the Association of Surgical Technologists.
21        (2) If the surgical technologist has successfully
22    completed the educational requirements under paragraph (1)
23    but has not, on the date the surgical technologist is
24    hired or enters into the contract with the health care
25    facility, obtained the national certification under

 

 

SB2653- 4 -LRB103 34583 RPS 64421 b

1    paragraph (1), the surgical technologist must obtain that
2    certification within 12 months after being hired or
3    entering into the contract.
4        (3) The surgical technologist is registered as a
5    registered surgical technologist under the Registered
6    Surgical Assistant and Registered Surgical Technologist
7    Title Protection Act.
8        (4) The surgical technologist has successfully
9    completed a training program for surgical technology in
10    the armed forces of the United States or the United States
11    Public Health Service.
12        (5) The surgical technologist has engaged in the
13    practice of surgical technology at a hospital licensed
14    under the Hospital Licensing Act or an ambulatory surgical
15    treatment center licensed under the Ambulatory Surgical
16    Treatment Center Act before January 1, 2026.
 
17    Section 15. Exemptions.
18    (a) Nothing in this Act prohibits an individual from
19performing surgical technology services if the individual is
20acting within the scope of the individual's license or
21registration or is a student or intern under the direct
22supervision of a licensed health care provider.
23    (b) A health care facility may employ or otherwise
24contract with an individual to perform surgical technology
25services and functions who does not meet the requirements

 

 

SB2653- 5 -LRB103 34583 RPS 64421 b

1under Section 10 if the health care facility makes a diligent
2and thorough effort and, after completing such effort, is
3unable to employ or contract with a sufficient number of
4qualified surgical technologists who satisfy the requirements
5of this Act. The health care facility shall maintain
6documentation of its efforts.