| South Carolina Summary of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Legislation |
| Issue |
Excerpts from Legislation/Rules & Regulations |
| Year Passed |
2000 |
2000 Appropriations – Part II – Section 48 (PDF) |
Full
Implementation by: |
July 1, 2000 |
Section 44-37-40. C. This section takes effect July 1, 2000.
[Source: 2000 Appropriations – Part II – Section 48] |
Requires
Screening of: |
Hospitals >100 births |
Statute: Section 44-37-40. A. (C)(1) Beginning no later than June 30, 2001, newborn hearing screenings must be conducted during birth admission on all newborns born in hospitals in this State using procedures recommended or approved by the department. However, when a newborn is delivered in a hospital with an average of less than one hundred deliveries a year, the screening is not required, but the parents must begiven the information required pursuant to subsection (C)(3).
Source: 2000 Appropriations – Part II – Section 48 |
Advisory Committee
Established? |
Yes |
Statute: Section 44-37-40. A. (E) The department shall establish the Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Advisory Council, consisting of representatives of agencies, professional disciplines, hospitals, and consumers to advise the department on matters related to the implementation of this section and duties of the department under this section.
Source: 2000 Appropriations – Part II – Section 48 |
| Covered Benefit of Health Insurance? |
Yes |
Statute: Section 44-37-40. A. (G) The department and the Department of Health and Human Services shall establish procedures for providing reimbursement for expenses incurred by entities providing newborn hearing screenings under this section.
(H) Responsibilities of the department under this section including, but not limited to, reimbursement authorized pursuant to subsection (G) must be funded from proceeds received by the State in the settlement agreement and related documents, between the State and leading United States tobacco manufacturers dated November 23, 1998.
Source: 2000 Appropriations – Part II – Section 48 |
Report to
State DOH |
Yes |
Statute: Section 44-37-40. A. (D) (3)(a) The department, upon consultation with the South Carolina Health Alliance, shall establish newborn hearing screening reporting procedures which must be followed by hospitals, audiologists, and early interventionists.
Source: 2000 Appropriations – Part II – Section 48 |
Provision of
Educational
Materials? |
Yes |
Statute: Section 44-37-40. A. (C) (2) Beginning no later than April 1, 2001, every hospital in this State shall provide educational information for the parents of newborns born in that hospital concerning the hearing screening procedure and the importance of the screening. Education may not be considered a substitute for the hearing screening.(3) When a newborn is delivered in a hospital where the hearing screening is not required pursuant to subsection (C)(1) or somewhere other than a hospital, the parents must be instructed on the importance of a hearing screening and of having the screening performed within one month of the child’s birth date. Parents also must be given information to assist them in having the screening performed. The department shall determine the appropriate screening venue for newborns not receiving a hospital-conducted screening.
[Source: 2000 Appropriations – Part II – Section 48] |
| Informed Consent by Parents? |
|
|
| Liability Immunity? |
|
|
| Parental Objection Exclusion? |
|
|
| Hearing Impairment Defined? |
Yes |
Definition Sec.48, (9)
(9) ‘Hearing loss’ for newborns and neonates means failure to pass the brainstem auditory evoked response performed at the audiologic evaluation. Current hearing screening technology detects levels of hearing loss as low as 35 decibels.
Source: 2000 Appropriations – Part II – Section 48 |
