2025 CPT code 92562
Loudness balance test, alternate binaural or monaural.
Modifier 52 can be used if the test is performed on only one ear.
Medical necessity for 92562 is established when a patient presents with symptoms or signs suggesting a hearing disorder, particularly unilateral hearing loss. This test aids in differentiating types of hearing loss and directing appropriate management.
In simple words: This is a hearing test where tones are played through headphones, sometimes switching between ears, and you tell the doctor when the sounds seem equally loud in both ears, or just how loud it sounds in one ear.This helps figure out what kind of hearing loss you have.
This code represents a loudness balance test, conducted either alternately between both ears (binaural) or in one ear (monaural).It is a specialized audiometric test using calibrated equipment to assess perceived loudness differences, particularly useful in cases of unilateral hearing loss to detect recruitment (abnormal growth of loudness perception). The test involves presenting tones at varying intensities and having the patient indicate when the sounds are perceived as equally loud.It helps differentiate between cochlear and retrocochlear deafness (hearing loss originating in the inner ear vs. the auditory nerve).
Example 1: A patient presents with hearing loss in one ear. To determine if the hearing loss is due to damage in the inner ear (cochlear) or the nerve pathway (retrocochlear), a 92562 (loudness balance test) is performed., A patient with known unilateral hearing loss reports increased sensitivity to loud sounds in the affected ear. A loudness balance test (92562) is performed to assess for recruitment, which helps guide hearing aid fitting and management., Following noise exposure, a patient experiences tinnitus and difficulty understanding speech. Audiometry reveals asymmetric hearing loss, and a 92562 test helps determine the site of lesion, whether in the cochlea or auditory nerve, before further diagnostic or treatment strategies are planned.
Documentation should include the type of loudness balance test performed (binaural or monaural), the frequencies tested, the results (decibel levels at which loudness is balanced), and the interpretation of the results in relation to the patient's hearing loss.Calibration records of the equipment used should be maintained.
- Specialties:Audiology, Otolaryngology
- Place of Service:Office, Independent Clinic, Outpatient Hospital, Other Place of Service