DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 2024 – 1 PM ET

SPEAKER: Terry Zwolan, Ph.D., CCC-A, Director, Audiology Access and Standard of Care – Cochlear Americas and Professor Emerita, Michigan Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

• CAA Members View recording  (must login first)
• Non Member fee – $50.00

Abstract:

The value of cochlear implants (CIs) as a treatment for significant hearing loss has been well demonstrated. However, current estimates indicate that only about 5-10% of adult cochlear implant candidates who could benefit from a CI actually receive one. This low adoption of treatment may be due, at least in part, to recent changes in CI candidacy and uncertainty of audiologists regarding when a patient should be referred for a cochlear implant candidacy evaluation (CICE). It is valuable for all audiologists to understand when patients should be considered for alternative hearing technology.

This presentation will provide information regarding the 60/60 Guideline, which simplifies referral decisions by providing guidance based on routine audiologic evaluations. Procedures used to develop the 60/60 will be described, and recent reviews of it’s clinical utility will be discussed. Additional measures to aid in referral decisions will also be described. The presentation will include a list of possible reasons some patients hesitate to move forward with a CICE. Counseling tools that can be used by clinicians to educate patients about CICEs will be discussed, including a description of the procedures patients participate in as part of CI Candidacy evaluations.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the 60/ 60 referral guideline and how it can be used to identify patients who should be referred for a cochlear implant candidacy evaluation (CICE)
• Describe, for patients, procedures that are typically included in a CICE
• Answer questions that patients often have about attending a CICE

SPEAKER BIO: Terry Zwolan, Ph.D., CCC-A, Director, Audiology Access and Standard of Care – Cochlear Americas and Professor Emerita, Michigan Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

Terry Zwolan joined Cochlear Americas in November 2022 as the Director of Audiology Access and Standard of Care. In her role, she oversees two Cochlear Hearing Centers in Texas and works on various initiatives to improve access to care. Prior to joining Cochlear, she was Director of the Cochlear Implant Program at the University of Michigan from 1990-2021 and is Professor Emerita in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. She previously served as Course Director for the Institute for Cochlear Implant Training (ICIT), served as an adjunct professor for Wayne State University’s AuD program, and is a co-founder and past member of the Board of Directors of the American Cochlear Implant (ACI) Alliance.  She is currently leading efforts to roll out Version 3 of the Minimum Speech Test Battery for evaluating CI candidacy in the United States.

• CAA Members View recording  (must login first)
• Non Member fee – $50.00

 

CAA is grateful to Cochlear Canada for sponsoring this speaker