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The National Health Interview Survey found that approximately 10 percent of U.S. adults had experienced tinnitus in the 12 months previous to the survey (Bhatt et al, 2016; Shargorodsky et al, 2010). This article reviews codes useful when providing tinnitus services. For clinical guidance, the interested reader is directed to the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Clinical Practice Guideline for Tinnitus (Tunkel et al, 2014).

The American Academy of Audiology (the Academy), the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA), and the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) are together seeking changes in Medicare rules. The changes proposed will allow Medicare patients direct access to audiology services without a referral from a physician and would reclassify audiologists as practitioners. Classification as practitioners would allow audiologists to be recognized by Medicare (i.e., reimbursed by Medicare) for the full scope of their state-defined licensure law.

The standard electronystagmography/videonystagmography (ENG/VNG) exam, first described 80 years ago, has been around for about 60 years. The recording techniques have improved, but the tests are the same. Our understanding of vestibular function and methods to evaluate the vestibular ocular reflex (VOR) also have improved, but our profession still relies primarily on VNG testing to determine vestibular function. Let’s take a critical look at this standard of care.

Auditory problems are the most common service-connected disability (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2019) and the fourth leading cause of medical referral for Veterans of the United States military (McIlwain et al, 2008).