Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Assemblyman WILLIAM B. SAMPSON, IV
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblywoman GARNET R. HALL
District 28 (Essex and Union)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Atkins
SYNOPSIS
Allows audiologists to select, prescribe, and order hearing aids under certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning audiology and amending P.L.1983, c.420 and P.L.2019, c.41.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L.1983, c.420 (C.45:3B-2) is amended to read as follows:
2. As used in P.L.1983, c.420 (C.45:3B-1 et seq.):
a. "Audiologist" means any individual who practices audiology and who represents himself or herself to the public by title or by description of services, under any title incorporating such terms as "audiology," "audiologist," "audiological," "audiologic," "hearing clinic," "hearing clinician," "hearing therapist," or any similar title or descriptions of services, provided that the individual has met the eligibility requirements contained in section 8 of P.L.1983, c.420 (C.45:3B-8) and has been duly licensed under P.L.1983, c.420 (C.45:3B-1 et seq.).
b. "Committee" means the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Committee.
c. "Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, trust, association or other organization, except that only individuals may be licensed under P.L.1983, c.420 (C.45:3B-1 et seq.).
d. "Practice of audiology" means the nonmedical and nonsurgical application of principles, methods, and procedures of measurement, testing, evaluation, consultation, counseling, instruction, and habilitation or rehabilitation related to hearing, its disorders, and related communication impairments for the purpose of nonmedical diagnosis, prevention, identification, amelioration, or modification of these disorders and conditions in individuals or groups of individuals with speech, language, or hearing disabilities, or to individuals or groups of individuals for whom these conditions must be ruled out.
e. "Practice of speech-language pathology" means the nonmedical and nonsurgical application of principles, methods, and procedures of measurement, prediction, nonmedical diagnosis, testing, counseling, consultation, habilitation, and rehabilitation and instruction related to the development and disorders of speech, voice, and language for the purpose of preventing, ameliorating, and modifying these disorders and conditions in individuals or groups of individuals with speech, language, or hearing disabilities, or to individuals or groups of individuals for whom these conditions must be ruled out.
f. "Speech-language pathologist" means an individual who practices speech-language pathology and who represents himself or herself to the public by title or by description of services under any title incorporating such terms as "speech-language pathology," "speech-language pathologist," "speech pathology," "speech pathologist," "speech correction," "speech correctionist," "speech therapy," "speech therapist," "speech clinic," "speech clinician," "logopedist," "communicologist," "language therapist," "communication disorders specialist," "communication therapist," or any similar titles of description of services, provided that the individual has met the eligibility requirements contained in section 8 of P.L.1983, c.420 (C.45:3B-8) and has been duly licensed under P.L.1983, c.420 (C.45:3B-1 et seq.).
g. "Dispensing and fitting hearing aids" means the evaluation or measurement of the power or range of human hearing by means of an audiometer or by any other means devised and the consequent selection, prescribing, ordering, adaptation, or sale of hearing aids intended to compensate for hearing loss, including the making of an impression of the ear.
(cf: P.L.2019, c.41, s.2)
2. Section 1 of P.L.2019, c.41 (C.45:3B-25) is amended to read as follows:
1. An audiologist licensed to practice pursuant to P.L.1983, c.420 (C.45:3B-1 et seq.), may select, prescribe, order, dispense and fit hearing aids if he has successfully completed a program of coursework and clinical training in the selection, prescribing, ordering, dispensing and fitting of hearing aids which meets the requirements established by the committee, from an institution of higher education that is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, or any other organization, as may be approved by the committee.
(cf: P.L.2019, c.41, s.1)
3. This act shall take effect on the 60th day next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill allows audiologists to prescribe and order hearing aids under certain circumstances.
Pursuant to current law, audiologists may dispense and fit hearing aids if the audiologist has successfully completed an accredited program of coursework and clinical training in the dispensing and fitting of hearing aids. The bill authorize audiologists to also select, prescribe, and order hearing aids, if the audiologist has successfully completed an accredited program of coursework and clinical training in the selection, prescribing, ordering, dispensing and fitting of hearing aids.
This bill is in response to changes by the United States Food and Drug Administration to the rules that categorize hearing aids. The new rules established classifications for over-the-counter hearing aids and prescription hearing aids. This bill recognizes the new class of prescription hearing aids and incorporates prescribing into the scope of practice and training for licensed audiologists.