AOA Writes Congress Opposing H.R. 2140

The AOA wrote to the House of Representatives, June 16, opposing the "Medicare Hearing Health Care Enhancement Act of 2011" (H.R. 2140). This legislation promotes fragmentation in our health care system by providing audiologists with unlimited direct access to Medicare patients without a physician referral.

Although audiologists are licensed health professionals, they are not qualified to treat and diagnose patients with issues outside of hearing loss. The lack of a physician referral could also lead to duplicative tests that could be costly to Medicare beneficiaries. In order to prevent fragmentation of health care, the AOA encourages audiologists to participate in patient centered delivery models and oppose H.R. 2140.