 |
Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (Last Updated: June 14,2023) |
 |
Title19a Public Health and Well-being |
|
|
SubTitle19a-59. Newborn Hearing Screening Program |
| Sec. 19a-59-1. Newborn hearing screening program |
|
Latest version.
|
|
(a) Not later than July 1, 2000, each institution as defined in section 19a-490 of the Connecticut General Statutes that provides childbirth services shall develop and implement a universal newborn hearing screening program which shall at a minimum include the following: (1) A physiologic technologies testing mechanism which employs automated or diagnostic auditory brainstem response (ABR) or otoacustic emissions (OAE), or subsequently developed or improved physiologic technologies that substantially enhance newborn hearing assessment that are recognized by the American Academy of Audiology or American Speech Language Association; and (2) a mechanism for monitoring the institution's compliance with the newborn hearing screening program which shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following information: (A) name of each newborn infant; (B) date of birth; (C) date infant received hearing screening or documentation of parent refusal for newborn hearing screening; (D) method of screening; (E) results of screening; (F) person performing screening; and (G) to whom referral for further evaluation was made, if applicable. (b) A parent who refuses to allow his or her infant to be screened for a hearing impairment based upon religious tenets and practice shall sign a statement attesting to said refusal which shall include a statement by a licensed health care provider that the parent was informed of the medical consequences of such refusal. The document shall identify the specific reasons for the refusal and shall be placed in the infant's medical record. If a parent declines to sign the refusal statement, the institution shall document in the infant's medical record the reason for the refusal by the parent to permit newborn hearing screening and a statement that the parent refused to sign the document and was informed of the medical consequences of such refusal. (c) Documentation of the screening shall be maintained in the infant's medical record and shall be retained for a minimum of twenty-five (25) years after discharge of the infant except that original medical records may be destroyed sooner if they are microfilmed by a process approved by the department. (d) The institution shall develop and implement policies and procedures for the requirements of this section which shall be reviewed and approved by the institution's medical staff and governing body. (e) The department may review implementation of Section 19a-59-1 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies at the time of licensure inspections. |
|
(Adopted effective March 4, 1999; Amended April 10, 2000) |