Hearing Screening for Older Adults Using Hearing Questionnaires

INTRODUCTION
Under Medicare Part B of an Initial Preventive Physical Examination (IPPE), physicians or other qualified nonphysician practitioners (NPPs) are encouraged to utilize hearing screening questionnaires in order to assist in a review of an elderly individual’s functional ability and level of safety, and to provide the appropriate counseling and referral as part of the screening.1

Elderly persons rely on auditory input to maintain safety, social contact, awareness of their environment, and overall functional ability. Hearing function declines with age, yet relatively ...