10-144 C.M.R. ch. 279, § 3.0 - RESPONSIBILITY FOR HEARING SCREENING OF INFANTS BORN IN HOSPITALS IN MAINE

3.1 The administrator of the birthing hospital shall be responsible for providing information about the importance of newborn hearing screening and of receiving follow-up care. The information must explain the process of a newborn hearing screening, the likelihood of a child having a hearing loss, follow-up procedures and community resources and must include a description of the normal auditory, speech and language development process in children. This information must be provided to the parents of the newborn prior to discharge or by one month of age, whichever comes first, and must include information regarding the location of hearing facilities available to the newborn. The administrator of the birthing hospital may elect to provide newborn hearing screening at his/her facility or may coordinate, schedule or arrange for newborn hearing screening at another facility.

3.2 Each administrator of a birthing hospital or birthing center should appoint and provide to the Maine Newborn Hearing Program, the name of a contact person at the facility, who shall be responsible for coordinating the facility's hearing screening program or reporting record.

3.3 The person who actually performs the hearing screening shall be responsible for documenting the hearing screening results in the infant's chart and in the facility's designated reporting record. The documentation shall include the hearing screening method used, person performing the hearing screening, any high risk indicators observed and the results of the hearing screening.

3.4 No infant shall be discharged from a birthing hospital or birthing center until his/her medical record is checked to assure that it includes documentation of a hearing screening has been performed, scheduled or declined by the parents. In the event an infant is identified as having been discharged without appropriate documentation of hearing screening, the scheduling of a hearing screening appointment, or parental refusal of hearing screening, follow-up is required. Follow-up must occur within two business days of such identification. The contact person shall notify the Maine Newborn Hearing Program that the infant has been discharged without appropriate documentation of hearing screening, the scheduling of a hearing screening appointment or parental refusal of hearing screening.

3.5 In the event that an infant is transferred to another birthing hospital before the hearing screening has been completed, it is the responsibility of the second facility to assure that information regarding the importance of newborn hearing screening and follow-up care has been provided to the parents of the newborn. Such information shall be provided to the parents of the newborn prior to discharge, or within one month of age, whichever occurs first, and shall include the location of a facility wherein newborn hearing screening is available. The administrator of the birthing hospital may either offer to provide the newborn hearing screening at his/her facility, or to coordinate, schedule, or arrange for the newborn hearing screening to be provided at another facility.

3.6 In the event newborn infants are preterm, ill, in intensive care, or otherwise medically unstable, the administrator of the birthing hospital shall provide information regarding newborn hearing screening, as soon as practical and reasonable, after the newborn becomes medically stable.

3.7 Hospitals providing newborn hearing screening shall establish standards for appropriate documentation, data management and transmission of data for the Maine Newborn Hearing Program.

Notes

10-144 C.M.R. ch. 279, § 3.0