Abstract
Purpose: Florida policy mandates newborn hearing screenings (NBHS) in hospitals. U.S. inpatient administrative hospital data reflects low rates of documented screenings. This analysis investigates inconsistencies between Florida policy and administrative records.
Method: Analysis of Florida statutory language was completed. Florida hospital administrative data was retrospectively analyzed using various statistical methods to explore differences in proportions of documented NBHS among distinct hospital types based on profit and teaching statuses.
Results: Florida mandate requires NBHS completion in the hospital prior to discharge from the birth facility or within 21 days after birth and allows for billing a third-party payer. The median proportions of screenings in Florida hospitals were as follows: not-for-profit teaching hospitals 0.35 (σ: 0.00-0.83), for-profit teaching hospitals 0.00 (σ: 0.00-0.07), not-for-profit non-teaching hospitals 0.08 (σ: 0.00-0.36), and for-profit non-teaching hospitals 0.05 (σ: 0.00-0.27). Hospital types exhibit significantly different proportions of documented NBHS (χ2 = 194,321.85, p <.0001).
Conclusion: Improving administrative documentation practices to align with policy will enhance adherence to statutory regulations. Boosting volume of documented screenings could lead to increased hospital revenue and present opportunities to invest in infrastructure for the NBHS program.
Recommended Citation
Anthony, T. Barrett, B. Brown, A. & Ryan, J. (2024). Documented Newborn Hearing Screenings in Florida Administrative Hospital Data: State Policy Compliance by Hospital Types. Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention, 9(1), 34-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26077/e019-fb5c
Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/jehdi/vol9/iss1/7
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