Hearing Services Program – Minimum Specifications for Subsidised Devices

The Challenge

The Australian Government’s Hearing Services Program (HSP) funds hearing services and hearing devices for eligible individuals with hearing loss. The minimum specifications that determine which devices can be subsidised under the Program had not been revised for more than a decade. During that time, hearing aid and assistive technology have continued to evolve, with significant advances in digital signal processing, connectivity, power systems, and form factors.

This created an opportunity to review whether the existing specifications continued to reflect contemporary hearing technology and to consider how emerging innovations could be incorporated, while maintaining access to essential legacy features relied upon by some Program clients. The work described in this project was initiated to support the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing in updating the minimum specifications for subsidised devices, ensuring they remain relevant, achievable, and aligned with clinical need and consumer expectations.

Our Approach

The project was led by Paola Incerti and delivered by a multidisciplinary team at the National Acoustic Laboratories, bringing together expertise in audiology, engineering, and research translation. A systematic and collaborative methodology was used to ensure the recommendations were evidence based, transparent, and feasible to implement.

A comprehensive scoping review formed the foundation of the work. Representative hearing aids, assistive listening devices, cochlear implant sound processors, and bone conduction devices were selected based on Hearing Services Program supply data. Devices included in the review represented over 90 per cent of devices supplied under the Program during the 2022–2023 period, ensuring the findings reflected what is currently available to most clients.

Device features were identified using publicly available technical documentation and categorised using a standardised feature lexicon previously developed by NAL. Manufacturers were invited to review and validate the feature assessments, strengthening the accuracy and reliability of the analysis.

In parallel, the project examined how devices should be organised into categories to support Program requirements for listing, reporting, and reimbursement, while also accounting for emerging technologies and areas of expected future growth. Regular engagement with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and industry stakeholders supported alignment with policy objectives and ensured the recommendations were practical to implement.

Outcomes and Impact

The project delivered a comprehensive set of recommendations for updating the minimum specifications for subsidised devices under the Hearing Services Program. Key outcomes include:

• Expanded minimum feature requirements
  The recommendations significantly expand the number of features that subsidised devices are required to include, reflecting capabilities that are already widely available in contemporary hearing devices supplied under the Program.
• Redefined and expanded device categories
  New and updated device categories were introduced to improve consistency in listing, reporting, and reimbursement. This includes standard categories for devices previously treated as non-standard, as well as new categories for technologies likely to become more prevalent in the future, such as cochlear implant sound processors and supported self-fitting hearing devices.
• Improved access to newer technologies
  The recommendations support increased access to contemporary technologies such as rechargeable battery options, aligning the Program more closely with current clinical practice and global market trends.
• Protection of essential legacy features
  While supporting innovation, the recommendations ensure continued access to core assistive technologies, such as telecoil and manual controls, for Program clients who rely on these features.
• Refreshed technical requirements
  Technical specifications were updated where necessary to ensure acceptable performance, sound quality, comfort, and usability, while remaining achievable with current hearing device technologies.
• Stakeholder validation and feasibility
  Industry stakeholders reviewed and validated the feature assessments, strengthening the credibility of the recommendations and supporting their feasibility for implementation.

Overall, the work establishes a modernised and future-ready framework for hearing device specifications, supporting equitable access to contemporary technology for Australians and fostering innovation across the hearing sector.