Radiologic technologists: venipuncture: direct supervision.

Assembly Member Chen’s measure redefines “direct supervision” for radiologic technologists performing venipuncture, expanding oversight to include telepresence options in addition to traditional on-site supervision. The core change frames direct supervision as either a physician and surgeon physically present and immediately available to intervene, or available immediately via audio and video communication with access to the patient’s imaging records and the ability to direct on-site personnel.

Under the telepresence approach, facilities must implement safety protocols and ensure onsite personnel with appropriate licenses are available to respond to adverse events as directed by the supervising physician. Approved on-site responders may include physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, or physician assistants. If a facility continues to rely solely on the conventional, physically present supervision, it need only maintain safety protocols, while the telepresence framework adds new requirements. The existing training and competency framework remains intact, including ten hours of instructed content and at least ten live venipures under personal supervision before competency for venipuncture under direct supervision is recognized, with completion documents issued by schools.

Enforcement continues under the Radiologic Technology Act, with violations treated as misdemeanors. The expansion of the supervision framework is identified as giving rise to a state-mandated local program, and although the bill’s provisions state that no reimbursement is required for local agencies or districts, compliance costs related to safety protocols, telepresence infrastructure, and staff readiness may arise at the local level. The bill preserves prohibitions on arterial puncture and most central venous procedures, and clarifies the definitions of direct versus personal supervision while layering in telepresence within the existing regulatory structure.

Regarding implementation, the measure signals a regulatory shift that hinges on facility protocols, telepresence capabilities, and access controls for imaging records. It references training and competency requirements as the baseline for radiologic technologists performing venipuncture, with telepresence supervision introducing new operational duties for on-site licensed personnel and for physicians supervising remotely. The enacted version’s operative date would determine when these changes take effect, and the bill’s text notes the broad governance changes without specifying a fixed effective date within the excerpt provided.