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Coding Item B0200: Hearing

MDS 3.0 Update, January 24, 2011

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Problems with hearing can contribute to sensory deprivation, social isolation, and mood and behavior disorders. Unaddressed communication problems related to hearing impairment can be mistaken for confusion or cognitive impairment. When assessing a resident’s hearing in Item B0200, take the following steps:

1. Ensure that the resident is using his or her normal hearing appliance if they have one. Hearing devices may not be as conventional as a hearing aid. Some residents by choice may use hearing amplifiers or a microphone and headphones as an alternative to hearing aids. Ensure whatever hearing appliance is used, it is operational.
2. Interview the resident and ask about hearing function in different situations (e.g. hearing staff members, talking to visitors, using telephone, watching TV, attending activities).
3. Observe the resident during your verbal interactions and when he or she interacts with others throughout the day.
4. Think through how you can best communicate with the resident. For example, you may need to speak more clearly, use a louder tone, speak more slowly or use gestures. The resident may need to see your face to understand what you are saying, or you may need to take the resident to a quieter area for them to hear you. All of these are cues that there is a hearing problem.
5. Review the medical record.
6. Consult the resident’s family, direct care staff, activities personnel, and speech or hearing specialists.

• Code 0, adequate: No difficulty in normal conversation, social interaction, or listening to TV. The resident hears all normal conversational speech and telephone conversation and announcements in group activities.
• Code 1, minimal difficulty: Difficulty in some environments (e.g., when a person speaks softly or the setting is noisy). The resident hears speech at conversational levels but has difficulty hearing when not in quiet listening conditions or when not in one-on-one situations. The resident’s hearing is adequate after environmental adjustments are made, such as reducing background noise by moving to a quiet room or by lowering the volume on television or radio.
• Code 2, moderate difficulty: Speaker has to increase volume and speak distinctly. Although hearing-deficient, the resident compensates when the speaker adjusts tonal quality and speaks distinctly; or the resident can hear only when the speaker’s face is clearly visible.
• Code 3, highly impaired: Absence of useful hearing. The resident hears only some sounds and frequently fails to respond even when the speaker adjusts tonal quality, speaks distinctly, or is positioned face-to-face. There is no comprehension of conversational speech, even when the speaker makes maximum adjustments.

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