I had a new-born come in for an ABR this morning. This child was placed at
risk for hearing loss due to a reported family history. Reportedly, the
mother has a loss. The mother could not tell me much other than she has had
problems since childhood, but did not wear a hearing aid until last year (at
age 19.) She told me who fit her and it was a less than reputable person in
our area. Out of curiosity, I did a quick audio on her. She was all over
the place. SRTs were below 15 dB, and her thresholds were inconsistently at
around 40 dB, but I did manage to get each one down to about 10 dB, once or
twice. I have a feeling that she is receiving disability money for this.
OK, here is the dilemma. What do I do? I would love to call the office of
Disability Determinations and advise them of the situation. But, my
colleague feels that doing so would open us up to a lawsuit. I feel that I
am ethically obligated to follow this through if she is wrongfully getting
government money. I need opinions. Also, if we are risking a lawsuit, on
what grounds?
Any and all replies would be greatly appreciated!
David
David J. Coffin, M.A., CCC-A
Center for Audiology
Alexandria, LA
