Rhode Island Code of Regulations
Title 216 - Department of health
Chapter 40 - Professional licensing and facility regulation
Subchapter 05 - Professional Licensing
Part 31 - Hearing Aid Dealers and Fitters (216-RICR-40-05-31)
Section 216-RICR-40-05-31.4 - Administrative Requirements

A. No person, firm, association or corporation shall sell or attempt to sell or otherwise make available any hearing aid instrument or hearing prosthetic device to a prospective consumer or purchaser unless that consumer or purchaser has first obtained and presented to the seller a certificate of need on forms prescribed and furnished by the Director, signed by a physician duly licensed in the state under the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 5-37, attesting thereon that pursuant to an ontological examination no more than six (6) months prior to the sale of the hearing aid, it is his/her diagnosis that the prospective patient-purchaser has a hearing impediment of such a nature as to indicate the need for a hearing aid instrument or hearing prosthetic device.

B. Pursuant to federal requirements, an adult (i.e., person aged eighteen [18] years or older) prospective purchaser may waive the medical evaluation requirement provided that said purchaser has been informed that the exercise of said waiver is not in the purchaser's best interest.

C. Prior to delivery of services or products to the prospective purchaser, a licensee shall provide discussion of amplification or aural rehabilitation options appropriate to the hearing loss and communication needs presented by the patient.

D. The licensee shall deliver information, either written or oral, appropriate to the patient's needs and options under discussion, including, but not limited to, types of circuitry, telecoils, or programmability, and if applicable, estimated unit prices for the following service: hearing aid(s), accessories, service contracts, hearing aid (loss and damage) insurance, health care coverage, warranty, financing, and related goods and services.

A. The Records of Transactions are as set forth in R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-49-2.2.

B. Every person, firm, association or corporation shall keep a permanent record of all sales or other transactions whereby a hearing aid instrument or hearing prosthetic device is made available.

C. Each record of a transaction shall have attached thereto the certificate of need, or signed waiver, presented by the prospective purchaser and shall be retained for a period of three (3) years and be kept open for inspection by any official designated by the Director.