University of Michigan Photo
How a new Ann Arbor program helps
those with hearing loss — and provides a blueprint other academic medical
centers may follow
New Ann Arbor program helps those
with hearing loss — and provides a blueprint other academic medical centers may
follow.
Newswise, June 29, 2017 — Low-income
people dealing with hearing loss just got a little hope.
Doctors from Michigan Medicine’s Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery partnered with the Hope Clinic to create Hope for
Hearing, a program that provides free hearing aids to uninsured adults.
The partnership between the free
independent clinic and University of Michigan started in 2010 to provide Hope
Clinic patients with access to specialty care.
“We saw there was a need for hearing
aids,” says Aileen P. Wertz, M.D., a fifth-year resident in otolaryngology who
also sees patients at the Hope Clinic. “Over half of the patients referred to
us with ear complaints had hearing loss and could simply benefit from a hearing
aid.”
After recognizing the need, Wertz
and her colleagues looked to design a self-sufficient subspecialty program
within the clinic that could act as a model for similar projects.
They began by soliciting hearing aid
donations and a hearing aid verification system and securing a $5,000 grant for
a computer enabled with audiological software and other equipment.
Primary care providers then referred
adults with hearing complaints to the program.
Patients went through an initial
assessment that included a formal audiogram and screening evaluation. If the
audiometric test suggested a significant hearing loss and the otolaryngologist
determined that a patient was medically cleared for hearing aids, the patient
was referred to audiologists for hearing aid counseling and fitting.
In a study published in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head & Neck
Surgery, Wertz and her
colleagues examined the feasibility and outcomes of the program.
“During the study period — September
2013 through March 2016 — we garnered 84 hearing aids, and most of them were
donated,” says Wertz. “Thirty-four patients were determined to be eligible for
the free program and were offered hearing aid services. Of them, 20 patients
(59 percent) have been fitted or are being fitted with free hearing aids.”
The cost of hearing aids
Most people who need hearing aids
are surprised that neither Medicare nor most commercial insurance plans cover
the cost. As a result, there is no price negotiation or consumer benefit.
Wertz says the average Hope for
Hearing patient would pay about $2,260 to obtain equivalent equipment
themselves or pay $1,210 for the most basic hearing aid available at U-M.
The only costs for Hope for Hearing
patients are batteries for the hearing aid and transportation to and from their
clinic visits.
What’s ahead
Deemed a success with room to grow,
Wertz says the Hope for Hearing program is looking for ongoing funding to cover
the costs of ear mold and hearing aid supplements.
Wertz attributes some of the success
to date to the strong relationship between the Hope Clinic and U-M.
“This hearing aid program began with
an established, successful academic center-community program partnership,” she
says. “That was an important factor because enthusiastic audiologists and
otolaryngologists were already invested and volunteering regularly at clinics.”
Wertz suggests that other
institutions considering similar programs think about the target population’s
cultural needs.
“Many patients in this program have
required an interpreter to get through the audiologic evaluation and hearing
aid fitting,” says Wertz. “Our program has been fortunate that a family member
or friend with bilingual abilities has been able to serve as an interpreter for
appointments.”
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