Licensed Perfusionist Practice Act

2025-2026 Bill 4983: Licensed Perfusionist Practice Act - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 4983
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Rep. Calhoon
Document Path: LC-0592WAB26.docx
Introduced in the House on January 20, 2026
Currently residing in the House Committee on
Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs
Summary: Licensed Perfusionist Practice Act
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

1/20/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 6
)

1/20/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs
(
House Journal-page 6
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
01/20/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ENACTING THE
"LICENSED PERFUSIONIST PRACTICE ACT" BY ADDING ARTICLE 12 TO CHAPTER 47, TITLE
40 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE PERFUSIONISTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE UNDER THE BOARD OF
MEDICAL EXAMINERS, TO PROVIDE FOR THE LICENSURE AND REGULATION OF
PERFUSIONISTS, TO ESTABLISH THE RESPECTIVE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE
BOARD AND THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS,
AMONG OTHER THINGS.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
This act may be cited as the "Licensed Perfusionist Practice Act."

S
ECTION 2.
C
hapter 47, Title 40 of the S.C. Code is amended by
adding:

A
rticle 12

L
icensed Perfusionist Practice Act

S
ection
40-47-1900
. The General Assembly finds and declares that the public interest
requires the regulation of the practice of perfusion and the establishment of
licensure standards for perfusionists and that the health and welfare of the
residents of this State will be protected by identifying to the public those
individuals who are qualified and legally authorized to practice perfusion.

S
ection
40-47-1910
.
A
s used in this article:

(
1)
"Board" means the State Board of Medical Examiners.

(
2)
"Committee" means the Perfusionists Advisory Committee established pursuant to
Section
40-47-1930
.

(
3)
"Extracorporeal circulation" means the diversion of a patient's blood through a
heart-lung machine or a similar device that assumes the functions of the
patient's heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, or other organs.

(
4)
"Perfusion" means the functions necessary for the support, treatment,
measurement, or supplementation of the cardiovascular, circulatory, or
respiratory system or other organs, or a combination of those activities, and
to ensure the safe management of physiologic functions by monitoring and
analyzing the parameters of the systems under an order and under the
supervision of a licensed physician, including:

(
a)
the use of extracorporeal circulation, long-term cardiopulmonary support
techniques, including extracorporeal carbon-dioxide removal and extracorporeal
membrane oxygenation, and associated therapeutic and diagnostic technologies;

(
b)
counterpulsation, ventricular assistance, autotransfusion, blood conservation
techniques, myocardial and organ preservation, extracorporeal life support, and
isolated limb perfusion;

(
c)
the use of techniques involving blood management, advanced life support, and
other related functions;

(
d)
the administration of:

(
i) pharmacological and therapeutic
agents;

(
ii) blood products or anesthetic
agents through the extracorporeal circuit or through an intravenous line as
ordered by a physician;

(
e)
the conducting and use of:

(
i) anticoagulation monitoring and
analysis;

(
ii) physiologic monitoring and
analysis;

(
iii) blood gas and chemistry
monitoring and analysis;

(
iv) hematologic monitoring and
analysis;

(
v) hypothermia;

(
vi) hyperthermia;

(
vii) hemoconcentration and
hemodilution;

(
viii) hemodialysis; and

(
f)
the observation of signs and symptoms related to perfusion services, the
determination of whether the signs and symptoms exhibit abnormal
characteristics, and the implementation of appropriate reporting, perfusion
protocols, or changes in or the initiation of emergency procedures.

(
5)
"Perfusionist" means a person who is licensed to practice perfusion pursuant to
this article.

S
ection
40-47-1920
.
(
A) A person may not
engage or offer to engage in perfusion for compensation or use the title or
represent or imply that the person has the title of "licensed perfusionist" or
"provisional licensed perfusionist" or use the letters "LP" or "PLP" and may not
use any facsimile of these titles in any manner to indicate or imply that the
person is a licensed perfusionist or provisional licensed perfusionist unless
the person holds an appropriate license issued under this article.

(
B)
A person may not use the title or represent or imply that the person has the
title of "certified clinical perfusionist" or use the letter "CCP" and may not
use any facsimile of those titles in any manner to indicate or imply that the
person is a certified clinical perfusionist by the American Board of
Cardiovascular Perfusion unless the person holds a certificate as a certified
clinical perfusionist issued by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion.

(
C)
A person who knowingly or intentionally violates subsection (A) or (B) is
guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, must be fined five hundred
dollars or imprisoned up to one year, or both.

S
ection
40-47-1930
.
(
A) There is created
under the State Board of Medical Examiners, the Perfusionists Advisory
Committee which must consist of six members who are residents of this State.
Five of the members must be licensed perfusionists except for the members of
the committee first appointed, who must be licensed as soon after their
appointment as possible. These five members must have been actively engaged in
the practice of perfusion in this State for at least two years immediately
preceding their appointment. The remaining member must be a physician licensed
in accordance with Article 1.

(
B)
The board shall appoint the committee members who shall serve staggered terms.
Each member must be appointed for a term of six years. Except that of the
members first appointed, two shall serve terms of six years, two shall serve
terms of four years, and two shall serve terms of two years. A vacancy in the
membership of the committee must be filled in the manner provided by the
original appointment for the unexpired portion of the term. No member of the
committee may serve more than two successive terms, excluding any unexpired
term to which he has been appointed.

(
C)
A license holder eligible for appointment as a licensed perfusionist committee
member must have been licensed under this article for at least two years before
appointment to the committee.

S
ection
40-47-1940
.
(
A) No later than
thirty days after the appointment of its members, the committee shall meet to
adopt bylaws and elect from among its perfusionist members a chairperson who
shall hold office according to rules adopted by the committee.

(
B)
The committee shall meet at least twice a year and may hold additional meetings
as necessary to discharge its duties.

(
C)
A majority of the committee membership constitutes a quorum.

(
D)
Committee members must be compensated for their services at the usual rate for
mileage, subsistence, and per diem as provided by law for members of state
boards, committees, and commissions and may be reimbursed for actual and
necessary expenses incurred in connection with and because of their work as
members of the committee.

S
ection
40-47-1950
.
(
A) The committee,
under the authority of the board, shall recommend to the board the promulgation
of regulations establishing the criteria for licensure as a perfusionist and
the standards of professional conduct for licensees.

(
B)
The committee, under the authority of the board, shall assist the board in
carrying out the provisions of this article regarding the qualifications,
examination, registration, regulation, and licensure of perfusionists.

(
C)
Under the authority of the board the committee shall:

(
1)
establish a code of ethics;

(
2)
establish the qualifications and fitness of applicants for licenses, renewal of
licenses, and reciprocal licenses and a process for reviewing these
applications;

(
3)
establish the revocation, suspension, or denial of a license, probate a license
suspension, or reprimand a license holder for a violation of this article, the
code of ethics, or a regulation of the board;

(
4)
establish the categories of fees and the amount of fees that may be imposed in
connection with a license;

(
5)
establish continuing professional education requirements for licensed
perfusionists and provisional licensed perfusionists under this article, the
standards of which must be at least as stringent as the didactic requirements
established by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion or its successor
agency and which must include:

(
a)
the minimum amount of continuing education required to renew a license under
this article;

(
b)
a process to evaluate and approve continuing education courses;

(
c)
identification of factors for the competent performance by a licensee of the
licensee's professional duties; and

(
d)
a procedure to assess a licensee's participation in continuing education
programs;

(
6)
prepare a registry of licensed perfusionists and provisional licensed
perfusionists including their place of business, place of residence, and the
date and number of their license and make this information available to the
public, license holders, and appropriate state agencies; and

(
7)
assist in such other matters dealing with perfusion as the board may direct.

S
ection
40-47-1960
.
(
A) The board, after
notice of and opportunity for a hearing, may remove any member of the committee
if a member:

(
1)
does not have at the time of appointment the qualifications required for
appointment;

(
2)
does not maintain during service the qualifications required for appointment;

(
3)
violates a prohibition established by this article;

(
4)
cannot discharge the member's term for a substantial part of the term for which
the member is appointed because of illness or disability; or

(
5)
is absent from more than half of the regularly scheduled meetings that the
member is eligible to attend during a calendar year unless the absence is
excused by majority vote of the committee.

(
B)
The validity of an action of the committee is not affected by the fact that it
is taken when grounds for removal of a member exist.

S
ection
40-47-1970
.
(
A) An applicant for
a perfusionist license must submit a sworn application in the form and manner
prescribed by the committee and accompanied by an application fee established
by the board in regulation.

(
B)
To qualify for the licensing examination, the applicant must have successfully
completed a perfusion education program approved by the committee and the
board. In approving perfusion education, the committee shall approve only a
program that was approved by the Committee on Allied Health Education and
Accreditation of the American Medical Association before June 2024 or that has
educational standards that are at least as stringent as those established by
the Accreditation Committee for Perfusion Education and approved by the
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs or its
successor.

S
ection
40-47-1980
.
(
A) The committee,
under the authority of the board, shall establish the examination and process
to be used to judge the qualifications for granting a perfusion license.

(
B)
To qualify for a license, an applicant must pass a competency examination which
must be prepared or approved by the committee and administered to qualified
applicants at least once each calendar year.

(
C)
An examination prescribed by the committee may be or may include the complete
certification examinations given by the American Board of Cardiovascular
Perfusion or its successor agency or by a state testing service in lieu of an
examination prepared by the board. The committee may have the examination
validated by an independent testing professional.

(
D)
No later than forty-five days after the date on which a licensing examination
is administered under this article, the approved testing service or board shall
notify each examinee of the results of the examination.

(
E)
If requested in writing by a person who fails the licensing examination, the
approved testing service or board shall furnish the person with an analysis of
the person's performance on the examination.

S
ection
40-47-1990
.
(
A) A person who
meets the licensing qualifications under this article is entitled to receive a
license as a licensed perfusionist.

(
B)
A licensee shall:

(
1)
display the license in an appropriate and public manner; or

(
2)
always maintain on file during which the license holder provides services in a
healthcare facility a true and correct copy of the license certificate in the
appropriate records of the facility; and

(
3)
keep the committee informed of any change of address.

S
ection
40-47-2000
.
(
A) A license is
valid for two years from the date it is issued and may be renewed in accordance
with dates prescribed by the committee.

(
B)
A person may renew an unexpired license by submitting proof satisfactory to the
committee of compliance with the continuing professional education requirements
prescribed by the committee and paying the required renewal fee to the board
before the expiration date of the license.

(
C)
If a person's license has been expired for no more than ninety days, the person
may renew the license by submitting proof satisfactory to the committee of
compliance with the continuing professional education requirements prescribed
by the committee and paying the required renewal fee to the board.

(
D)
If a person's license has been expired for more than ninety days but less than
two years, the person may renew the license by submitting proof satisfactory to
the committee of compliance with the continuing professional education
requirements prescribed by the committee and paying the required renewal fee to
the board.

(
E)
If a person's license has been expired two years or more, the person may not
renew the license. The person may obtain a new license by submitting to
reexamination and complying with the current requirements and procedures for
obtaining a license.

(
F)
The committee may renew without reexamination an expired license of a person
who was licensed in this State, moved out of this State, and is currently
appropriately licensed or certified and has been in practice out of this State
for the two years preceding application and paying the required fee to the
board.

(
G)
The board shall notify each license holder in writing of the license expiration
date thirty days before expiration by notice to the licensee at the licensee's
last known address according to the records of the committee.

S
ection
40-47-2010
.
(
A) A license as a
provisional licensed perfusionist may be issued by the committee to a person
who has successfully completed an approved perfusion education program upon
filing an application, paying an application fee, and submitting evidence
satisfactory to the committee of the successful completion of the education
requirement provided for in Section
40-47-1970
.

(
B)
A provisional licensed perfusionist must always be under the supervision and
direction of a licensed perfusionist during which the provisional licensed
perfusionist performs perfusion. Rules adopted by the committee governing the
supervision and direction may not require the immediate physical presence of
the supervising licensed perfusionist.

(
C)
A provisional license is valid for one year from the date it is issued and may
be extended subject to rule by the committee. The application for extension
must be signed by a supervising licensed perfusionist.

(
D)
Upon notification by the approved testing service, or the board, that any
portion of the licensing examination has been failed, the provisional license
must be surrendered to the committee or board.

S
ection
40-47-2020
.
T
he committee, under the authority of
the board, on receipt of an application and application fee, shall waive the
examination requirement for an applicant who at the time of application:

(
1)
is appropriately licensed or certified by another state, territory, or
possession of the United States if the requirements of that state, territory,
or possession for the license are the substantial equivalent of the
requirements of this article as determined by the committee; or

(
2)
holds a current certificate as a certified clinical perfusionist issued by the
American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion, or its successor, before January 1,
2026.

S
ection
40-47-2030
.
T
his article does not apply to:

(
1)
a person licensed by another health professional licensing board if the person:

(
a)
does not represent to the public, directly or indirectly, that the person is
licensed under this article, and does not use any name, title, or designation
indicating that the person is licensed under this article; and

(
b)
confines his acts or practices to the scope of practice authorized by the other
health professional licensing laws;

(
2)
a student enrolled in an accredited perfusion education program if perfusion
services performed by the student are:

(
a)
an integral part of the student's course of study; and

(
b)
performed under the direct supervision and direction of a licensed perfusionist
assigned to supervise the student and who is on duty and immediately available
in the assigned patient care area;

(
3)
the practice of any legally qualified perfusionist employed by the United
States government while in the discharge of official duties.

S
ection
40-47-2040
.
B
efore July 1, 2026, a person may apply
to the board and receive a license notwithstanding the requirements of Sections
40-47-1970
and
40-47-1980
if the person was actively engaged in the practice of
perfusion consistent with applicable law, and if the person meets one of the
following requirements:

(
1)
the person has been operating cardiopulmonary bypass systems during cardiac
surgical cases in a licensed healthcare facility continuously as the person's
primary function since July 1, 2026; or

(
2)
the person has had experience operating cardiopulmonary bypass systems during
cardiac surgical cases in a licensed healthcare facility as the person's
primary function for five out of the past ten years.

S
ECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on January 20, 2026 at 12:35 PM