BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 599
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
599 (Bonilla)
As Amended August 24, 2015
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |77-0 |(April 30, |SENATE: |40-0 |(September 1, |
| | |2015) | | |2015) |
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Original Committee Reference: B. & P.
SUMMARY: Authorizes a licensed cytotechnologist to perform all
tests and procedures pertaining to cytology, under the overall
operation and administration of a laboratory director.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Defines, for purposes of this bill, a "qualified pathologist"
as a physician and surgeon who is certified or eligible for
certification in clinical or anatomical pathology by the
American Board of Pathology or the American Osteopathic Board
of Pathology.
2)Authorizes a licensed cytotechnologist to perform all tests
and procedures pertaining to cytology under the overall
operation and administration of a laboratory director, who
must be a qualified pathologist.
AB 599
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3)Provides examples of tests and procedures pertaining to
cytology, including:
a) Microscopic and nonmicroscopic methodologies; and,
b) Tests and procedures that use molecular or genetic
methodologies that are performed on cytologic specimens
related to infectious disease or cancer diagnoses.
4)Provides that tests or procedures performed by a licensed
cytotechnologist under this bill (Business and Professions
Code Section 1270) must be performed in a licensed clinical
laboratory certified in the subspecialty of diagnostic
cytology.
5)Makes other technical, nonsubstantive changes.
The Senate amendments:
1)Clarify that a cytotechnologist must perform all tests under
the overall operation and administration of a laboratory
director.
2)Require that the laboratory director must be a qualified
pathologist.
3)Define "qualified pathologist" as a physician and surgeon who
is certified or eligible for certification in clinical or
anatomical pathology by the American Board of Pathology or the
American Osteopathic Board of Pathology.
4)Require tests or procedures performed by a licensed
AB 599
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cytotechnologist to be performed in a licensed clinical
laboratory certified in the subspecialty of diagnostic
cytology.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, this bill will result in one-time costs of about
$120,000 per year for two years to develop and adopt regulations
regarding training standards and the scope of practice for
cytotechnologists by the Department of Public Health. The costs
will be covered by licensing fee revenues. This bill will also
result in minor ongoing costs to license cytotechnologists and
enforce the revised standards by the Department of Public
Health.
COMMENTS:
Purpose. This bill is co-sponsored by the California Society of
Pathologists and the California Association of
Cytotechnologists. According to the author, this bill "ensures
that California law is updated as technology advances. More
importantly, it ensures that we keep high-paying jobs here, in
California. We train cytotechnologists but cannot keep them in
the state because of our restricted statutory structure. In
addition, labs send samples out of state to be analyzed because
they cannot find enough cytotechnologists.
[This bill] ameliorates this situation and keeps jobs in
California, removes an incentive to send tissue samples out of
state, and ensures that we have the workforce needed to fill
laboratory need in California."
Background. A cytotechnologist is a type of laboratory
technician that performs tests specific to the field of
cytology. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
cytology is the analysis of cells collected from a part of the
body under a microscope.
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Cytological tests are used to determine what the cells look like
and whether they are abnormal. Abnormal cells are indicators of
cancer and precancerous changes. The tests may also be used to
look for viral infections in cells. A cytological test differs
from a biopsy in that only cells are examined, not pieces of
tissue.
Nonmicroscopic Tests. Under current state law, licensed
cytotechnologists are limited to the examination of cells using
a microscope. However, the sponsors note that advances in
medicine and laboratory technology have resulted in new
techniques that are not limited to a microscope. Because the
new techniques are not limited to microscopes or slides,
cytotechnologists are not able to perform them.
Therefore, the author and the sponsors note that the situation
incentivizes cytotechnologists to leave the state. This bill
proposes to fix this issue by expanding the scope of practice of
a licensed cytotechnologist to include all tests and procedures
pertaining to cytology. This will allow a cytotechnologist to
perform the co-testing on a single sample, without having to
send it out.
Analysis Prepared by:
Vincent Chee / B. & P. / (916) 319-3301 FN:
0001634