In simple words: This code covers a single hearing aid worn in the better ear, with a microphone on the other side. It helps people who can hear well in one ear but have hearing loss in the other.The sound from the side with hearing loss is sent to the ear with better hearing.

This code represents a monaural (one-sided), in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid with contralateral routing.It is used for patients with hearing loss in one ear and normal or near-normal hearing in the other. The patient wears the hearing aid on the better-hearing side, and a microphone is placed on the side with hearing loss. This setup allows sound to be picked up on the impaired side and transmitted to the better-hearing side.

Example 1: A patient has profound hearing loss in their left ear due to an acoustic neuroma but normal hearing in their right ear. They are fitted with a contralateral routing ITE hearing aid (V5171)., A child born with unilateral hearing loss in their right ear is fitted with a V5171 device to improve hearing., Following a traumatic injury resulting in single-sided deafness, a patient is fitted with a contralateral routing ITE hearing aid.

Documentation should include the type of hearing loss, the rationale for contralateral routing, and the specific device provided.

** This code is not covered by Medicare.