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Presenter asks board to authorize licensed midwives to perform newborn hearing screenings
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Summary
A MAC member asked the Medical Board to publicly support amending Title 17 so licensed midwives can be explicitly authorized to perform and be reimbursed for newborn hearing screening in out‑of‑hospital births.
Mason Wilson Tanev, a member of the Midwifery Advisory Council, presented a proposal to clarify regulatory language so licensed midwives may perform newborn hearing screening in out‑of‑hospital settings and be included in the Newborn Hearing Screening Program (NHSP).
Tanev reviewed the statutory and regulatory background, noting that hospitals with licensed perinatal services must perform newborn hearing screening and that Title 17 currently recognizes licensed midwives for metabolic (bloodspot) screening but does not explicitly authorize audiological screening by midwives. Tanev reported that many licensed midwives already perform otoacoustic emissions testing and have the equipment and training, but insurers including Medi‑Cal sometimes deny reimbursement or payment codes because of regulatory ambiguity.
Tanev asked the MAC to: (1) publicly acknowledge licensed midwives' existing role in out‑of‑hospital hearing screening; (2) support legislative and regulatory efforts to authorize midwives to perform screening under the NHSP; (3) advocate for billing codes and reimbursement pathways; and (4) encourage the Department of Health Care Services to integrate midwives through training, equipment grants and reporting tools.
Council members expressed support and several offered to assist with stakeholder outreach. The MAC did not vote on an official position at this meeting but the presenter said a petition to amend Title 17 would be circulated to stakeholders and submitted to DHCS after review.
