Code of Massachusetts Regulations
130 CMR - DIVISION OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
Title 130 CMR 426.000 - Audiologist Manual
Section 426.414 - Dispensing Requirements
Universal Citation: 130 MA Code of Regs 130.426
Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024
An audiologist 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
audiologist must have personally completed or received a complete audiological
evaluation 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; or
(c) a
licensed audiologist who is employed by a physician, or by an acute hospital's
outpatient department, hospital-licensed health center or other satellite
clinic; or
(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 audiologist must have received, and must maintain in the member's medical record pursuant to 130 CMR 426.419(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;
(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.
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