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Tennessee Summary of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Legislation
Issue Excerpts from Legislation/Rules & Regulations
Year Passed 2008  
Full
Implementation by:
July 1, 2008  
Requires
Screening of:
All newborns

Section 4: Every newborn infant shall be screened for hearing loss in order to prevent the consequences of unidentified hearing loss…

Section 5: (a) A child born in a hospital or other birthing facility shall be screened for hearing loss prior to discharge from that facility. The attending health care professional shall refer a child born in a setting other than a hospital or other birthing facility to the Department of Health or an appropriate hearing screening provider. A child born on an emergency basis in a hospital that does not otherwise provide obstetrical or maternity services and which does not provide infant hearing screening tests prior to discharge of an infant from the hospital, shall refer a child born in that facility to the Department of Health or an appropriate hearing screening provider.

Source: [SB 3191, 2008]
Advisory Committee
Established?
   
Covered Benefit of Health Insurance? Yes, after July 2008

 Section 8: (b) Any individual, franchise, blanket or group health insurance policy, medical service plan contract, hospital service corporation contract, hospital and medical service corporation contract, managed health insurance issuer contract, fraternal benefits society plan, or health maintenance organization plan that provides coverage for hospital and surgical expense insurance and which is delivered, issued for delivery, amended or renewed in this state on or after July 1, 2008, shall provide coverage for infant hearing screening tests as provided in Section 5 of this act.
(c) The coverage required by this section may be subject to annual deductible, co-pays, co-insurance and contractual requirements established for other similar benefits within the policy or contract; provided, that the annual deductible, co-pays, co-insurance and contractual requirements for the coverage required by this section are no greater or more restrictive than those established for other similar benefits within the policy or contract of insurance.
(d) Nothing in this section shall apply to accident only, specified disease, hospital indemnity, medicare supplemental, long-term care, disability or other limited benefit insurance policies or to any employer plan exempt from regulation under Title 56 due to Section 514 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA").

Source: [SB 3191, 2008]
Report to
State DOH
Yes

Section5(a): All screening providers or entities shall report their screening results to the Department of Health.

(b): Any medical or audiologic provider performing follow-up tests shall report the results of such tests to the Department of Health.

Section 6. The results of all hearing screenings performed pursuant to this part shall be reported to the Department of Health. The Department of Health shall refer any child who does not pass the hearing screening test to the Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) of the Department of Education for follow-up. Children who have been identified with hearing loss or high risk conditions that place them at high risk for hearing loss as identified by standards established by a nationally recognized organization such as the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing Screening of the American Academy of
Pediatrics shall be referred to the TEIS.

Source: [SB 3191, 2008]
Provision of
Educational
Materials?
   
Informed Consent by Parents?    
Liability Immunity?    
Parental Objection Exclusion? Religous Tenets

 Section 4. Every newborn infant shall be screened for hearing loss in order to prevent the consequences of unidentified hearing loss unless the parent or parents of the child object on the grounds that the test would conflict with the parent or parents' religious tenets or practices.

Source: [SB 3191, 2008]
Hearing Impairment Defined? Yes  

National Center for Hearing Assessment & Management
Utah State University - 2615 Old Main Hill - Logan, Utah 84322
Tel: 435.797.3584
Questions & Comments