The Hearing Health Accessibility Act of 2003, Introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Jim Ryun of Kansas (HR 2821) and in the Senate by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado (S 1647), proposes to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for direct access to audiologists for Medicare beneficiaries.
Currently, Medicare requires that consumers with hearing loss see a physician and obtain a physician referral before being assessed by an audiologist. Other federal health care programs such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and many private health plans already allow direct access to audiologists. Medicare currently allows direct access to a range of non-physician practitioners such as optometrist, podiatrist, nurse-midwife, and nurse practitioner among others.
Hearing loss may be an indication of a medical condition and audiologists are educated to recognize problems requiring medical attention and to immediately refer those patients to a physician. It is recommended that physicians specializing in diseases of the ear be consulted. In contrast, physicians do not always detect hearing problems or make appropriate referrals to audiologists for hearing testing. When suspecting "nerve" deafness, physicians may erroneously tell the patient there is nothing that can be done and fail to inform consumers of beneficial treatment options. Direct access to audiology services would help to address this current gap in health care. Direct access would give consumers choice and improve access to hearing care. Being able to see either a physician or an audiologist provides more options to the consumer and would be less costly to Medicare.
SHHH supports legislation to give Medicare beneficiaries the option of going directly to a qualified audiologist for hearing evaluations.