Effective 28 Aug 2014

346.010. Definitions. — As used in sections 346.010 to 346.250, except as the context may require otherwise, the following terms mean:

(1) "Audiologist", a clinical audiologist licensed pursuant to chapter 345;

(2) "Board", the Missouri board of examiners for hearing instrument specialists, which is established in section 346.120;

(3) "Department", the department of commerce and insurance;

(4) "Division", the division of professional registration;

(5) "Hearing instrument" or "hearing aid", any wearable instrument or device designed for or offered for the purpose of aiding or compensating for impaired human hearing and that can provide more than fifteen decibel full-on gain via a two cc coupler at any single frequency from two hundred through six thousand cycles per second, and any parts, attachments, or accessories, including earmold, but excluding batteries, cords, receivers and repairs;

(6) "Hearing instrument specialist" or "specialist", a person licensed by the state pursuant to sections 346.010 to 346.250 who is authorized to engage in the practice of fitting hearing instruments;

(7) "Hearing instrument specialist in-training", a person who holds a temporary permit issued by the division to fit hearing instruments under the supervision of a hearing instrument specialist;

(8) "License", a license issued by the state under sections 346.010 to 346.250 to hearing instrument specialists;

(9) "Otolaryngologist", a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery in the state of Missouri pursuant to chapter 334 and who spends the majority of the person's practice seeing patients with ear, nose, and throat diseases;

(10) "Person", an individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, trust or any other legal entity;

(11) "Practice of fitting hearing instruments", the selection, adaptation, and sale of hearing instruments, including the testing and evaluation of hearing by means of an audiometer and the making of impressions for earmolds;

(12) "Registration of supervision", the process of obtaining a certificate of authority issued by the division to a hearing instrument specialist that enables the specialist to supervise one or more hearing instrument specialists in-training, as defined by division rules;

(13) "Sell or sale", any transfer of title or of the right to use by lease, bailment, or any other contract, excluding wholesale transactions with distributors or dealers;

(14) "Supervised training", the program of education and experience, as defined by division rule, required to be followed by each hearing instrument specialist in-training;

(15) "Supervisor", a hearing instrument specialist who has filed a registration of supervision with the board and has received from the division a certificate of authority;

(16) "Temporary permit", a permit issued by the division while the applicant is in training to become a licensed hearing instrument specialist.

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(L. 1973 H.B. 396 & 257 § 1, A.L. 1995 S.B. 69, et al., A.L. 2008 S.B. 788, A.L. 2014 S.B. 808)