FLAA Call to Action: E-mail Your Legislators TODAY to Oppose Senate Bill 126!
Don't Delay - Last Hearing is Scheduled for Wednesday, March 12th!
Dear Colleague,
The Florida Academy of Audiology (FLAA) and the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists (FLASHA) are issuing a?Call To Action?to maintain consumer protection for hearing aid dispensing. Our practice act, found in Chapter 468, Part 1 Florida Statutes, contains minimum requirements for a diagnostic audiological evaluation prior to dispensing a prescription hearing aid. This is the front line of consumer protection because it allows for the detection of possible ear disease requiring active medical treatment. It also allows for the detection of middle ear disorders that could be corrected with medical or surgical treatment negating the need for hearing aids.
Several weeks ago, Senate Bill 126 was submitted to the Florida Legislature ostensibly to accommodate the purchase and/or delivery of prescription hearing aids through the mail. The original version of this bill seemed to be acceptable at face value because it maintained the requirements for a comprehensive audiometric evaluation prior to the purchase of prescription hearing aids. But shortly afterwards, a Committee Substitute amendment was adopted that removed any requirement for the comprehensive audiometric evaluation. For internet or Direct to Consumer sales, this would leave the consumer with the probability of only a computer-based hearing screening to determine presence of hearing loss. It would be only from that screening that a prescription hearing aid would be programmed and sold.
Those of us in the profession know that a screening is grossly insufficient to detect the possibility of such entities as otosclerosis, cholesteatoma, or other forms of chronic middle ear disease. Also, there is no indication that anyone involved with internet or Direct to Consumer sales would take a detailed patient history, potentially leaving other symptoms of active auditory disorders undetected. I know we are “preaching to the choir” when we say that the case history combined with a comprehensive audiometric evaluation establishes the cornerstone of consumer protection where prescription hearing aids are concerned. But we highlight this because of the threat that this cornerstone may disappear if Senate Bill 126 is passed.
We are calling on all licensed audiologists in Florida to make our collective voices heard in Tallahassee. Senate Bill 126, in its current form, abolishes consumer protections for individuals with hearing loss. Time is of the essence because the bill is scheduled for its last committee review this Wednesday, March 12th at 11:00.
#FLAA #FLASHA #Audiology #Audiologist #LegislativeAlert #ContactYourReps
