53-19-402. Statewide universal newborn hearing screening, tracking, and intervention program. (1) There is a universal newborn hearing screening program in the department of public health and human services. The department shall implement the program to ensure a hearing screening test for all newborn infants for identification of newborn infant hearing loss. The department shall implement the program to ensure newborn hearing screening tests are completed before discharge from a hospital or no later than 1 month after birth.

(2) The department shall adopt rules to:

(a) ensure that each licensed hospital, health care facility, or health care provider providing obstetric services:

(i) complete newborn hearing screenings for all infants before discharge or no later than 1 month after birth and report the results to each infant's primary care provider, including any recommendation for audiologic assessment for an infant with two failed hearing screenings; and

(ii) provide required education regarding hearing screenings and hearing loss;

(b) ensure monitoring of all babies screened in Montana and referred for audiologic assessment to ensure that they receive an audiologic assessment by 3 months of age;

(c) establish newborn hearing screening protocols that are objective and physiologically based;

(d) establish education protocols;

(e) establish reporting requirements that are related to newborn infant hearing screening, recommendation for audiologic assessment, and audiologic assessment results; and

(f) ensure the electronic sharing of audiologic evaluation information of infants diagnosed as deaf or hard-of-hearing with the Montana school for the deaf and blind, pursuant to the school's responsibility for intervention tracking as provided in 20-8-102.

(3) The department shall assist each licensed hospital, health care facility, or health care provider providing obstetric services in developing systems for reporting and in accessing funds to purchase hearing screening equipment by providing information on funding sources known to the department.

(4) The department may accept contributions, gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources for the use and benefit of this program.