Rule 3701-40-02 | Hearing screening and equipment requirements for freestanding birthing centers.
(A) Each freestanding birthing center shall designate a hearing screening coordinator who is responsible for the coordination of the facility's hearing screening program. The coordinator shall be an individual with staff privileges at the facility and either:
(1) A medical director; or
(2) A nurse midwife.
(B) Each freestanding birthing center required to conduct a hearing screening on a newborn or infant shall, before discharge, conduct a hearing screening on each ear of every newborn or infant born in, admitted to or transferred into a freestanding birthing center through the use of a physiological test.
(C) The freestanding birthing center shall conduct a second screening on the newborn or infant if the first screening in either ear was a non pass.
(D) The second screening shall:
(1) Be a physiological test;
(2) Test both ears; and
(3) Be completed no less than one hour after the first screening and no later than thirty calendar days after birth.
(E) The freestanding birthing center shall conduct only two hearing screenings unless there is clearly an equipment error or an error in administering the screening. Only two complete hearing screenings shall be reported to the director.
(F) The equipment used for screening shall be capable of giving reliable results, maintained in good working order, and calibrated annually per manufacturer's guidelines.
(G) The freestanding birthing center shall communicate the results of the hearing screening for every newborn or infant to the attending physician, certified nurse-midwife, certified nurse practitioner, primary care physician, or designated medical home to include:
(1) Results of the hearing screening for each ear;
(2) Type of hearing screening; and
(3) Risk factors for hearing loss, if any.
(H) The freestanding birthing center shall report the following categories of newborns and infants to the attending physician, certified nurse midwife, certified nurse practitioner, primary care physician, or designated medical home within thirty calendar days:
(1) Newborns or infants who did not pass a hearing screening; and
(2) Newborns or infants who were discharged from the facility without a hearing screening.
(I) The freestanding birthing center shall provide the parent, guardian, or custodian of every newborn with printed information provided by the department as outlined in paragraph (D) of rule 3701-40-10 of the Administrative Code, prior to discharge including obtaining the signature of the parent, guardian, or custodian indicating receipt of the information.
(J) The freestanding birthing center shall communicate verbal and written results of the newborn or infant's hearing screening to the parent, guardian, or custodian to include:
(1) Results of the hearing screening for each ear;
(2) Type of hearing screening; and
(3) Risk factors for hearing loss, if any.
(K) The freestanding birthing center shall provide the parent, guardian, or custodian of a newborn or infant that did not pass the second hearing screening with the following:
(1) A referral to an audiologist for diagnostic hearing evaluation;
(2) Assistance in scheduling an appointment for diagnostic hearing evaluation;
(3) Information on the importance of making and keeping an appointment for a diagnostic hearing evaluation; and
(4) A list of audiology facilities where newborn diagnostic hearing evaluations are conducted.
(L) The freestanding birthing center shall notify the director of the name and contact information of the individual designated as the hearing screening coordinator, the supervising physician or audiologist, the birth clerk, and the hearing clerk on an annual basis and whenever changes occur.
(M) The freestanding birthing center shall report the following categories of newborns and infants to the director, in the manner and format prescribed, within thirty calendar days of initial screening, discharge, or transfer:
(1) Newborns or infants who received a hearing screening and the results of the hearing screening including risk factors;
(2) Newborns or infants who did not receive a hearing screening and the reason(s) not screened;
(3) Newborns or infants whose parents, guardian, or custodian objected to a hearing screening; and
(4) Newborns or infants who were transferred to a hospital.
(N) The freestanding birthing center shall report the following to the director, in the manner and format prescribed, within thirty calendar days:
(1) Newborns or infants who received a hearing screening and the results of the hearing screening including risk factors; and
(2) The name and address of the primary care physician, the certified nurse-midwife, certified nurse practitioner, or medical home where the parent will take the newborn or infant for care after discharge.
(O) Each freestanding birthing center shall develop a written protocol following the recommendations of the joint committee on infant hearing for these criteria:
(1) Conduct hearing screenings for both ears on all newborns or infants born and admitted into a freestanding birthing center prior to discharge, or when determined to be medically appropriate.
(2) Conduct a second hearing screening for both ears when the newborn or infant does not pass the first hearing screening in one or both ears.
(3) The freestanding birthing center shall have a contingency plan included within a written protocol for continued provision of hearing screening when equipment is malfunctioning or awaiting repair or replacement.
Supplemental Information