| 6 | 4 | | 95th General Assembly A Bill 2 |
|---|
| 7 | 5 | | Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 118 3 |
|---|
| 8 | 6 | | 4 |
|---|
| 9 | 7 | | By: Senator C. Penzo 5 |
|---|
| 10 | 8 | | By: Representative Bentley 6 |
|---|
| 11 | 9 | | 7 |
|---|
| 12 | 10 | | For An Act To Be Entitled 8 |
|---|
| 13 | 11 | | AN ACT TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF "AUDIOLOGY" 9 |
|---|
| 14 | 12 | | RELATING TO THE PRACTICE OF AUDIOLOGISTS; AND FOR 10 |
|---|
| 15 | 13 | | OTHER PURPOSES. 11 |
|---|
| 16 | 14 | | 12 |
|---|
| 17 | 15 | | 13 |
|---|
| 18 | 16 | | Subtitle 14 |
|---|
| 19 | 17 | | TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF "AUDIOLOGY" 15 |
|---|
| 20 | 18 | | RELATING TO THE PRACTICE OF 16 |
|---|
| 21 | 19 | | AUDIOLOGISTS. 17 |
|---|
| 22 | 20 | | 18 |
|---|
| 23 | 21 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19 |
|---|
| 24 | 22 | | 20 |
|---|
| 25 | 23 | | SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 17-100-103(2), concerning the definition of 21 |
|---|
| 26 | 24 | | "audiology", is amended to read as follows: 22 |
|---|
| 27 | 25 | | (2)(A) “Audiology” means the application of principles, methods, 23 |
|---|
| 28 | 26 | | and procedures of measurement, testing, evaluation, prediction, consultation, 24 |
|---|
| 29 | 27 | | counseling, instruction, habilitation, or rehabilitation related to hearing 25 |
|---|
| 30 | 28 | | and balance disorders of the auditory system for the purpose of evaluating, 26 |
|---|
| 31 | 29 | | identifying, preventing, ameliorating, or modifying such disorders and 27 |
|---|
| 32 | 30 | | conditions in individuals and groups of individuals , including: 28 |
|---|
| 33 | 31 | | (i) Evaluating, diagnosing, managing, and treating 29 |
|---|
| 34 | 32 | | auditory or vestibular conditions in the human ear; 30 |
|---|
| 35 | 33 | | (ii) Prescribing, ordering, selling, dispensing, or 31 |
|---|
| 36 | 34 | | fitting hearing aids to an individual for the correction or relief of a 32 |
|---|
| 37 | 35 | | condition for which hearing aids are worn; and 33 |
|---|
| 38 | 36 | | (iii) Prescribing, ordering, selling, dispensing, or 34 |
|---|
| 39 | 37 | | externally fitting a sound processor to: 35 |
|---|
| 53 | | - | (iii) Ordering but not interpreting cultures and 9 |
|---|
| 54 | | - | bloodwork testing solely as relating to the auditory or vestibular conditions 10 |
|---|
| 55 | | - | in the human ear; 11 |
|---|
| 56 | | - | (iv) Ordering and performing in -office 12 |
|---|
| 57 | | - | nonradiographic testing of the external auditory canal solely for the 13 |
|---|
| 58 | | - | evaluation of hearing and balance disorders; and 14 |
|---|
| 59 | | - | (v) Ordering but not interpreting radiographic 15 |
|---|
| 60 | | - | imaging solely as relating to the auditory or vestibular conditions in the 16 |
|---|
| 61 | | - | human ear. 17 |
|---|
| 62 | | - | (C) "Audiology" does not include: 18 |
|---|
| 63 | | - | (i) Surgery using an instrument, including a laser, 19 |
|---|
| 64 | | - | scalpel, needle, cautery, cryoprobe, or suture, in which human tissue is cut, 20 |
|---|
| 65 | | - | burned, vaporized, removed, or otherwise permanently altered by mechanical 21 |
|---|
| 66 | | - | means, laser, ionizing radiation, ultrasound, or other means; 22 |
|---|
| 67 | | - | (ii) Osseointegrated device surgery; 23 |
|---|
| 68 | | - | (iii) Cochlear implant surgery; 24 |
|---|
| 69 | | - | (iv) The preparation, operation, or performance of 25 |
|---|
| 70 | | - | radiographic imaging; or 26 |
|---|
| 71 | | - | (v) The use or interpretation of cultures, bloodwork 27 |
|---|
| 72 | | - | testing, or radiographic imaging to diagnose or treat; 28 |
|---|
| 49 | + | (iii) Ordering cultures and bloodwork testing; 9 |
|---|
| 50 | + | (iv) Ordering and performing in -office 10 |
|---|
| 51 | + | nonradiographic scanning or imaging of the external auditory canal; and 11 |
|---|
| 52 | + | (v) Ordering radiographic imaging. 12 |
|---|
| 53 | + | (C) "Audiology" does not include: 13 |
|---|
| 54 | + | (i) Surgery using an instrument, including a laser, 14 |
|---|
| 55 | + | scalpel, needle, cautery, cryoprobe, or suture, in which human tissue is cut, 15 |
|---|
| 56 | + | burned, vaporized, removed, or otherwise permanently altered by mechanical 16 |
|---|
| 57 | + | means, laser, ionizing radiation, ultrasound, or other means; 17 |
|---|
| 58 | + | (ii) Osseointegrated device surgery; 18 |
|---|
| 59 | + | (iii) Cochlear implant surgery; or 19 |
|---|
| 60 | + | (iv) The preparation, operation, or performance of 20 |
|---|
| 61 | + | radiographic imaging ; 21 |
|---|
| 62 | + | 22 |
|---|
| 63 | + | SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 17 -100-103, concerning definitions relating 23 |
|---|
| 64 | + | to speech-language pathologists and audiologists, is amended to add an 24 |
|---|
| 65 | + | additional subdivision to read as follows: 25 |
|---|
| 66 | + | (9) "Sound processor" means a nonsurgical, external unit that 26 |
|---|
| 67 | + | attaches to an internal osseointegrated device or cochlear implant. 27 |
|---|
| 68 | + | 28 |
|---|