Our Vision:
Create a world where every adult has awareness of and access to timely and comprehensive hearing health.
ORGANIZATION
Our Mission:
Using an interdisciplinary approach, the HHC will optimize adult hearing health by identifying access barriers, implementing innovative solutions, and improving policies and care delivery in the United States.
Our Value:
The HHC is the only interdisciplinary organization that has applied a rigorous methodology to address the public health crisis of undertreated adult hearing loss. We aim to solve the issue by simplifying the conversation around hearing loss, emphasizing it importance to overall health, and expanding the hearing care market.
Members:
Audiologists, Consumers, Family Physicians, Geriatricians, Neurotologists, Organizational Support, Otologists, Primary Care Physicians
The Problem
In the US, approximately 29M out of 38M adults with hearing loss (HL) are untreated or undertreated; frequently with a delay of 10 years or more to addressing HL.
It is important to close the gap because HL has been associated with communication difficulties, lower health-related quality of life, and decreased physical and cognitive function.
The Current Situation
- The number of adults in the US with audiometric HL in both ears is estimated to be 38.2M 1,4
- The prevalence of HL in at least one ear is estimated to be 22.7% and 14.3% are estimated to have HL in both ears 4. Most HLs are mild to moderate while an estimated 2.5% are severe to profound in at least one ear 4.
- Although individuals could benefit from intervention with hearing aids (HA) and cochlear implants (CI), many delay seeking timely treatment frequently by more than 10 years 6.The utilization rate of HA is estimated between 14-20% leaving an estimated 29M Americans untreated 1,3,5.
- HA utilization is lowest among those with mild to moderate HL at 10% and 30% respectively and highest among those with severe to profound HL at 70% and 90% respectively 3. Despite demonstrable evidence of the value of CI for those with severe to profound HL, utilization is extremely low for adults at an estimated 12.7% for severe to profound hearing loss and only 2.1% with expanded indications for unilateral or asymmetrical losses 7.
LEADERSHIP
Matthew Carlson, MD
Professor of Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery Division Chair, Otology & Neurotology, Medical Director, Cochlear Implant Program, Program Director, Neurotology Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Sarah A. Sydlowski, Au.D., Ph.D., M.B.A.
Associate Chief Improvement Officer Audiology Director, Hearing Implant Program Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
Carrie Meyer, AuD, ABAC
Amplifon USA
MEMBERS
Ksenia A. Aaron, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Division of Otology and Neurotology – Lateral Skull Base Surgery
Meagan P. Bachmann, Au.D, MHL
Director of Audiology
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Ben Balough, MD, Neurotologist
Kaiser Permanente
Kevin Brown, MD, PhD
University of North Carolina
Matthew L. Bush, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS
Professor and Chair
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
University of Kentucky College of Medicine Endowed Chair in Rural Health Policy
University of Kentucky Medical Center
Lexington, KY, USA
Maura Cosetti, MD
New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai
Lauren K. Dillard, PhD, AuD/CCC-A, MS
Medical University of South Carolina
Camille Dunn, PhD
The University of Iowa
Donna Fisher Smiley, PhD, CCC-A
Chief Staff Officer for Audiology
Liaison to Standards and Ethics
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
René Gifford, MS, PhD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Samuel Gubbels, MD, FACS
University of Colorado
Richard Gurgel, MD, MSCI
University of Utah School of Medicine
Marlan Hansen, MD
University of Iowa
Ardeshir Hashmi, MD
Center for Geriatric Medicine, Cleveland Clinic
Heidi Hill, AuD
Hearing Health Clinic
Jourdan Holder AuD PhD
Director Cochlear Implant Program
Vanderbuilt University Medical Center
Meredith A. Holcomb, AuD, CCC/A
Director, Hearing Implant Program
Associate Professor
University of Miami
Jacob Hunter, M.D.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia, PA
James Huang MD FAAFP
Gallaudet University
Jake Jentzer, MD
Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic
Anna Jilla, AuD, PhD
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Barbara Kelley
Hearing Loss Association of America
Vivian Kaul, MD
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology
Division Chair, Otology & Neurotology
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, TX
Christine Lohse, MS
Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic
Robert Macielak, MD
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
John Marinelli, MD
Otolaryngology, Brooke Army Medical Center
Michael McKee, MD MPH
Family Medicine, University of Michigan
Carrie Meyer, AuD, ABAC
Amplifon USA
Erin Miller, AuD
The University of Akron
Stephanie Moody Antonio, MD
Eastern Virginia Medical School
M. Hassan Murad, MD
Mayo Clinic Evidence-Based Practice Research Program, Mayo Clinic
Ashley Nassiri, M.D.
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Danielle S. Powell, AuD PhD
Director, Hearing and Health Research Center
Associate Professor
University of Maryland
Nicholas Reed, AuD
Johns Hopkins University
Douglas P. Sladen, Ph.D., CCC-A
School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
University of British Columbia
Donna Sorkin, MA
American Cochlear Implant Alliance
Christopher Spankovich, PhD
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Alex Sweeney, MD
Baylor College of Medicine; Texas Children’s Hospital
John Tieben, M.D., FAAFP
Family Medicine
Mayo Clinic Health System
Emily Jo Venskytis, AuD, ABAC, CCC-A
Director of Clinical Education and Assistant Professor
MGH Institute of Health Professions, Mass Eye and Ear
Zhen Wang, PhD
Mayo Clinic Evidence-Based Practice Research Program, Mayo Clinic
Ian Windmill, PhD
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Bevan Yueh, MD, MPH
CEO, University of Minnesota Physicians
Kevin Y. Zhan, MD
Director, Northwestern Medicine Cochlear Implant Program
Lurie Children’s Hospital
Daniel M. Zeitler, MD FACS
Co-Director, Listen for Life Cochlear Implant Center
Director Research and Academics
Division of Otology/Neurotology & Skull Base Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology-HNS
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
Clinical Assistant Professor – University of Washington School of Medicine
PLAN
Listen to Sarah Sydlowski, Co-Chair of the HHC describe the Collaborative’s mission.
Why is this initiative important?
Listen to HHC members explain why they joined and why professionals should get involved.
The Hearing Health Collaborative completed an A3 process to identify the Problem, Root Causes and Counter Measures to address in a set of short- and long-term actions to address. Specifically, the HHC will focus on three measures:
- Develop and embed a simple metric as a vital sign for hearing health.
- Develop and embed simple and consistent reporting for sensorineural hearing loss that defines appropriate treatment pathways as standards of care
- Secure evidenced-based procedural change to timely referrals for clinical evaluation of hearing loss treatments per guidelines on standards of care
WHY A COLLABORATIVE?
Collaboration is an essential component to implementing health promotion and disease prevention/management. Today’s complex healthcare environment has made it difficult for patients to access care, especially those with chronic conditions such as hearing loss where people have a greater reliance on technology and innovation provided by variable delivery models.
Many have discussed the issues and even tried different solutions. Yet, despite prior significant efforts, the results have fallen short of improving patient care. This has been attributed to a plethora of reasons including bureaucracy, lack of coordination, and limited resources. Thus, a different approach is needed.
FUNDING
- Sponsorships
- Grants
- Pledges
- Donations
- In kind support