AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 12, 2018

AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 15, 2018

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

95

CHAPTER 235

Statutes of 2018

[ Approved by Governor August 28, 2018. Filed with Secretary of State August 28, 2018. ]

Introduced by Assembly Member Irwin

February 13, 2018

An act to amend Section 1260.3 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to clinical laboratories.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law provides for the licensure, registration, and regulation of clinical laboratories and various clinical laboratory personnel by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires a medical laboratory technician to be licensed by the department, sets forth the duties that a licensed medical laboratory technician is authorized to perform, and prohibits a licensed medical laboratory technician from performing microscopic analysis or immunohematology procedures.

This bill would exempt from that prohibition blood smear reviews other than manual leukocyte differentials, microscopic urinalysis, and blood typing of moderate complexity such as automated ABO/Rh testing and antibody screen testing. The bill would also repeal an obsolete provision.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 1260.3 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:

1260.3.

(a) The department shall issue a medical laboratory technician license to each person who meets the following requirements:

(1) Has met the requirements of this chapter and any reasonable qualifications established by regulations of the department, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

(A) Lawfully holds an associate degree or an equivalent or higher degree in chemical, physical, biological, or clinical laboratory science, which includes a minimum of 36 semester units of physical or biological sciences.

(B) The completion of 60 semester (90 quarter) units from an accredited college or university, with 36 semester units in physical or biological sciences.

(C) Graduation from a medical laboratory technician training program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences or other recognized accrediting program approved by the department.

(D) Graduation from an advanced military medical laboratory specialist program approved by the department.

(2) Has applied for the license on forms provided by the department.

(3) Has paid a license fee established in regulations of the department in accordance with subdivision (q) of Section 1300.

(b) A licensed medical laboratory technician may perform clinical laboratory tests or examinations classified as waived or of moderate complexity under CLIA, but not high complexity, and may report the test results. However, a licensed medical laboratory technician shall not perform microscopic analysis or immunohematology procedures, except for blood smear reviews other than manual leukocyte differentials, microscopic urinalysis, and blood typing of moderate complexity such as automated ABO/Rh testing and antibody screen testing. The medical laboratory technician shall work under the supervision of a licensed physician and surgeon or a baccalaureate, masters, or doctoral level person licensed pursuant to this chapter. The supervision shall be required during the entire time a medical laboratory technician performs clinical laboratory tests or examinations.