Changes in Audiology Visits at an Academic Audiology Practice Following the Food and Drug Administration Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Ruling
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.The FDA
Area Of Science
- Audiology practice and hearing aid technology.
Background
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permitted over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid sales nationwide in 2022.
- The impact of this ruling on audiology practices remains under-characterized.
Purpose Of The Study
- To assess changes in the volume of hearing aid evaluations (HAEs) and comprehensive audiologic exams (CAEs) at an academic tertiary care audiology practice after the FDA's OTC hearing aid ruling.
Main Methods
- Billing records for patients aged 18 and older were analyzed.
- HAE and CAE visits were identified using Current Procedural Terminology and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes.
- Visit volumes were compared for 534-day periods before and after the ruling, with sensitivity analysis for seasonality.
Main Results
- Over 534 days post-ruling, hearing aid evaluations (HAEs) increased by 12.0% and comprehensive audiologic exams (CAEs) by 7.3%.
- Combined HAE and CAE visits saw a 7.6% increase.
- Daily visit increases were 0.084 for HAEs and 4.56 for CAEs.
Conclusions
- The FDA's OTC hearing aid ruling did not significantly impact HAE and CAE volumes at this academic audiology practice.
- A slight upward trend in visit volume was observed.
- Further research across diverse practice models is needed to fully understand the ruling's impact on audiology practice volumes.
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