Guidance on Hearing Health Care & Essential Medical Service
Starkey is committed to communicating with you often during this ever-changing situation. Currently, executive orders at state levels are requiring “non-essential businesses” to close. As a hearing professional, you may be unsure if this guidance applies to your business. Unfortunately, universal statutory guidance does not exist for this topic, and the differences between “essential business” vs. “non-essential business” are not well defined.
Working with our leadership team, we have determined that because individuals continue to rely on medical services provided at hearing healthcare locations, especially during a time of crisis, it is important to remain open as an “essential business.”
Moreover, two recent state specific examples exist to support Starkey’s decision:
- In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz specifically exempted “healthcare facilities” from his executive order closing businesses.
- In the latest order from New Jersey, businesses deemed necessary for the public’s health, safety and welfare, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, medical offices and gas stations, will be allowed to stay open.
If questions arise as to why hearing offices should be considered “healthcare” or “medical” offices, please remember:
- Office locations sell hearing aids, which are classified by the FDA as Class 1 or 2 medical devices – not consumer electronics.
- Hearing aids may only be dispensed by licensed healthcare providers.
- Hearing aids are intended to treat medical conditions, including ICD-10 diagnosis codes H90.0 (Conductive and Sensorineural Hearing Loss) and H91.0 (Other and Unspecified Hearing Loss).
- Treatment of hearing loss is proven to improve quality of life and decrease the risk of depression, anxiety, social isolation and possibly early onset dementia.
While we believe these are best practices given the current facts surrounding COVID-19, we encourage you to check in with your local government guidance. Please let us know if you have additional questions. We are steadfastly committed to navigating these uncertain times together. Thank you for your continued trust and partnership.