Code of Massachusetts Regulations
130 CMR - DIVISION OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
Title 130 CMR 416.000 - Hearing Instrument Specialist Services
Section 416.414 - Dispensing Requirements
Universal Citation: 130 MA Code of Regs 130.416
Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024
A hearing instrument specialist may dispense a hearing aid only after receiving the following documentation.
(A) Complete Audiological Evaluation. A complete audiological evaluation includes air and bone conduction, spondee thresholds, and word discrimination testing.
(1) The hearing instrument specialist must
have received a complete audiological evaluation (air and bone conduction,
spondee thresholds, and word discrimination testing) performed by one of the
following:
(a) an independent audiologist who
personally performed and completed the audiological evaluation;
(b) a licensed audiologist who is employed at
a speech and hearing clinic and who personally performed and completed the
audiological evaluation;
(c) a
licensed audiologist who is employed by a physician, or an acute hospital's
outpatient department, hospital-licensed health center or other satellite
clinic;
(2) audiological
evaluations for members younger than 18 years old must be performed by a
licensed audiologist pursuant to M.G.L. c. 93, § 71 and 72. For members 18
years of age or older, the audiological evaluation may also be performed by a
licensed hearing instrument specialist. Hearing testing performed by a hearing
instrument specialist must meet the requirements of the Massachusetts Rules and
Regulations Governing Hearing Instrument Specialists of the Division of
Professional Licensure at 265 CMR 2.00 through 10.00.
(3) This evaluation must contain the
following information:
(a) the date of the
evaluation;
(b) a written summary
of findings and impressions, which must include a favorable prognosis for
hearing aid use and an assurance that no physiological causes exist that would
make the member unable to use a hearing aid;
(c) the recommended hearing aid make and
model;
(d) whether or not the
amplification should be monaural (and if so, for which ear) or binaural;
and
(e) the signature of the
audiologist or hearing instrument specialist who performed the evaluation,
including the individual's name and credentials printed clearly and legibly
next to the signature.
(4) The evaluation must have been performed
no more than six months before the dispensing date of the hearing
aid.
(5) The make, model, and
specifications such as maximum output, frequency response configuration, and
any other special requirements of the hearing aid dispensed must be the same as
or comparable to that recommended in the audiological evaluation.
(B) Medical Clearance. The hearing instrument specialist must have received and must maintain in the member's medical record pursuant to 130 CMR 416.419(B) a medical clearance from a physician that meets the following conditions:
(1) the
medical clearance must state that the member is a candidate for and has no
medical conditions that would contraindicate the use of a hearing aid;
and
(2) the medical examination by
the physician must have been performed no more than six months before the
dispensing date of the hearing aid;
(3) the medical clearance must be signed by
the physician. If the medical clearance is not printed on the physician's
letterhead, the physician's name and credentials must also be printed clearly
and legibly on the medical clearance; and
(4) the medical clearance must include the
date of the medical clearance, identify which ears are cleared, and indicate
whether or not the member, at the time of the medical examination, currently
owns or uses a hearing aid for the designated ear.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Massachusetts may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
