SB118

Senate Bill 118 updates the Arkansas legal definition of 'audiology' to clarify the scope of practice for audiologists. The bill explicitly defines audiology to include the evaluation, diagnosis, management, and treatment of auditory or vestibular conditions, as well as the dispensing of hearing aids and sound processors for cochlear implants or osseointegrated devices. It also authorizes audiologists to perform specific procedures such as health screenings, removing foreign bodies or cerumen from the ear canal, and ordering certain laboratory or radiographic tests, provided they do not interpret those tests. The legislation clearly delineates the boundaries of the profession by explicitly excluding surgical procedures, the operation of imaging equipment, and the interpretation of medical diagnostic tests from the scope of practice. Additionally, the bill introduces a formal definition for a 'sound processor' as a nonsurgical, external unit. The overall purpose is to modernize and provide greater regulatory clarity regarding the clinical activities audiologists are permitted to perform in the state.