Sec. 10.41.08.08. Testing Procedures

A. The licensee or holder of a limited license who is engaged in the fitting and dispensing of hearing aids shall use appropriate testing procedures for a hearing aid fitting.

B. The licensee or holder of a limited license shall perform the following minimum testing procedures on each client seen:

(1) Air conduction tests at frequencies of 500-1,000-2,000-4,000 hertz, including appropriate masking, if the threshold of the second ear tested appears to differ by 30 decibels at any one frequency from those of the first ear; and

(2) Bone conduction tests at frequencies of 500-1,000-2,000-4,000 hertz, including appropriate masking, if there is a greater than 10 decibel difference in the bone readings of one ear over the other.

C. The use of speech stimuli is recommended before and during the fitting of the hearing aid.

D. The hearing aid dispenser shall maintain all test results as part of a client's record. Part or all of the tests may be performed by an otologist or clinical audiologist, but copies of the tests given may not be more than 6 months old. The hearing aid dispenser shall retain the test results in the client's record.

E. During the 2-year renewal, a hearing aid dispenser shall furnish evidence that each audiometer in use has been calibrated within the previous 12-month period.

F. Before fitting or selling a hearing aid to a potential client, the licensee shall refer the client to a physician, preferably one specializing in the diseases of the ear, if the licensee determines that the client has any of the following conditions:

(1) Visible, congenital, or traumatic deformity of the ear;

(2) Acute drainage from the ear within the previous 90 days;

(3) Sudden or rapidly progressive hearing loss within the previous 90 days;

(4) Acute or chronic dizziness;

(5) Air-bone gap in excess of 15 decibels on more than one frequency; or

(6) Visible evidence of cerumen (ear wax) accumulation or a foreign body in the ear canal.