Newborn Hearing Screenings

I offer routine newborn hearing screenings in the comfort of your own home. Your baby can be in your arms while I perform the hearing screening, and my goal is always to make it a calm and relaxed experience. Current recommendations are to have your baby’s hearing screened by 1 month of age, and I generally schedule visits around 2-3 weeks after birth.

Newborn Hearing Screenings

Most babies born in the hospital receive hearing screenings at 24 hours after birth, but families who declined the screening or opted for an early hospital discharge before it could be performed may find they have trouble accessing the screening once they are home again. Some babies born at home or in a birth center with midwives may have access to hearing screenings during postpartum care, but unfortunately hearing screening equipment is cost-prohibitive for many midwives to purchase. Most pediatrician and family practice offices do not have hearing screening equipment, so families can find themselves traveling long distances to regional medical facilities that have audiology centers.

The hearing screening is called an OAE (Otoacoustic Emissions) test and it checks part of the inner ear’s response to sound. When stimulated by the soft clicking sounds of the hearing screen equipment, the cochlea (organ of the inner ear) gives off small sounds called otoacoustic emissions. When the sound stimulates the cochlea, the outer hair cells of the cochlea vibrate. The vibration produces an almost inaudible sound that echoes back into the middle ear to be picked up by the equipment. Soft foam or rubber tips are placed in your baby’s ear one side at a time. Your baby will hear soft sounds and the equipment will record the response from the inner ear.

I will provide you with documentation of the hearing screening results to share with your midwife, pediatrician, or other providers as needed. If your baby does not pass the initial hearing screening and the second follow-up screening with me, I will connect you with your state’s newborn hearing screening program for further diagnostic testing options and care.

Fees

  • Home visit hearing screen = $100

  • If a second follow-up screening is required, I provide that at no extra charge

  • Newborn hearing screens are almost always an insurance-covered service, but I am unable to offer insurance billing in my practice. However, I can give you a receipt of payment with procedure codes to seek reimbursement from your insurance provider.

As a starting point for our conversation about fees, please look over my payment and fees guidelines to learn more about my sliding scale and barter options.