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Read the relevant item descriptions, fact sheets and explanatory notes on the MBS Online website.
Diagnostic audiology items 82300-82332 let eligible audiologists perform diagnostic tests and procedures.
These services help Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists and neurologists diagnose, treat or manage ear diseases or related disorders.
They supplement otolaryngology MBS items 11300-11345 for services delivered both:
- by medical practitioners
- on behalf of medical practitioners, not including item 11304 which a medical practitioner must provide in person.
Billing items for diagnostic audiology services
You can bill or claim benefits for the following items:
- 82300 - brain stem evoked response audiometry
- 82306 - non-determinate audiometry
- 82309 - air conduction audiogram
- 82312 - air and bone conduction audiogram or air conduction and speech discrimination audiogram
- 82315 - air and bone conduction and speech discrimination audiogram
- 82318 - air and bone conduction and speech discrimination audiogram with other cochlear tests
- 82324 - impedance audiogram involving tympanometry and measurement of static compliance and acoustic reflex
- 82332 - oto-acoustic emission audiometry for the detection of outer hair cell functioning in the cochlear.
An eligible medical practitioner needs to write the request for these items.
How to bill or claim diagnostic audiology services
An eligible audiologist must perform all services both individually and in person.
These services aren’t available for patients admitted in a hospital or for hearing screenings.
Audiologists need a written request to claim items:
The request must contain all of these:
- date
- name and practice address or provider number of the eligible medical practitioner requesting the service
- description of the service that shows how it relates to a particular item.
To be eligible to bill or claim these items, audiologists must register with us and be either:
- a Full Member of Audiology Australia who holds a Certificate of Clinical Practice
- an Ordinary Member, Audiologist or Fellow Audiologist of the Australian College of Audiology.
Audiologists can use their existing provider number if they’re already registered with us to perform diagnostic audiology services under other items.
Other item numbers for audiologists
Audiologists can also provide other audiology services as long as they have an appropriate referral.
The following table shows other audiology service item numbers and the patients that are eligible.
| Item number | Eligible patients |
|---|---|
| 10952 | People with a chronic or terminal medical condition and complex care needs |
| 81310 | Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Australians who’ve had a health assessment |
| 82030 | People aged under 25 years with a suspected complex neurodevelopmental disorder or an eligible disability for assessment services |
| 82035 | People aged under 25 years with a diagnosed complex neurodevelopmental disorder or an eligible disability for treatment services |
Reporting requirements
After providing a diagnostic audiology service, an audiologist must give the requesting medical practitioner:
- a copy of the results of the service performed
- written comments on the results.
Audiologists should give the results to the medical practitioner within 7 days of performing the service.