EHDI Providers

EHDI Providers

Information for Birthing Facilities

Birthing hospitals and healthcare facilities are required by Georgia Rule 511-5-5 to conduct newborn hearing screening using at least one of the following automated physiological hearing screening methods that does not require interpretation by the screener.

Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (aABR)
Automated Otoacoustic Emission (aOAE)

The Newborn Screening policy and procedure manual delineates the:

Equipment,
Equipment requirements,
Personnel,
Location and
Protocols for conducting newborn hearing screening.

Hospitals are required to report individualized hearing screening information to the Department of Public Health. Hearing screening information can be reported on the Newborn Screening Card or the Delayed Screening Form. Hospitals interested in reporting through the Electronic Birth Certificate must contact the program at 404-657-4143.

Hospitals are also required to report aggregate data quarterly to the EHDI Program. Program administrators must report electronically through SendSS. For more information on reporting or obtaining permission to SendSS, please contact the EHDI Coordinator for your region or the state office at 404-657-4143.

For additional information on things to consider on operating a newborn screening program, please review the EHDI E-Book.

For hospital staff training on newborn screening procedures, NCHAM has developed a free online curriculum. This curriculum was developed to standardize the way screeners are trained and to improve the quality of care for newborn hearing screening and follow-up. It will give screeners and stakeholders an understanding of the comprehensive nature of a quality program and provide the necessary foundation and tools to do a thorough job in their role. CEUs are offered.

Information for Physicians

Role of the Medical Home

The medical home is responsible for ensuring appropriate and timely referrals to providers that are capable of performing evaluations and knowledgeable in congenital hearing impairment. This can be achieved by:

Obtain written results of newborn hearing screening from birthing facility on all newborns.
By one month of age, ensure that all newborns have at minimum one hearing screening or a secondary screening if infant “referred” inpatient hearing screening.
Refer for audiological diagnostic evaluation for infants “referring” secondary screening before three months of age.
Provide referrals to early intervention, otolaryngologist, ophthalmologist and genetics after diagnosis of permanent hearing impairment.
Manage otitis media with effusion.
Closely monitor for signs of hearing loss for infants who pass newborn hearing screening and refer for audiological evaluation per JCIH recommendations, developmental/speech delay, or parental concern, as hearing loss may develop at any age.

To help locate a provider or health department that offers rescreens or diagnostic audiological testing, please visit the EHDI Facility Finder or CDC’s EHDI PALS.

Physicians providing follow-up screenings to newborns not passing the newborn hearing screening are required to report any follow-up screening results to the Department of Public Health. Screening results can be reported through SendSS or by faxing a completed C1st Screening and Referral Form and sending to the EHDI District Coordinator for the district that the family resides.

Best Practice Guidelines and Resources

Information for Audiologists

Training

Georgia’s EHDI Program has developed a training curriculum for Audiologists who conduct follow-up screening and diagnostic testing on infants in Georgia. The curriculum was developed to standardize testing procedures. Audiologists interested in a pediatric audiologist mentor/training may contact the program. There is no cost to participate in the mentoring/training.

Mandatory Reporting

Audiologists are required to report all follow-up screening and diagnostic testing results on newborns who did not pass the newborn hearing screening within 7 days of the evaluation. Screening and diagnosis results can be reported through SendSS. Audiologists without access to SendSS may request access to report or complete a Surveillance of Hearing Impairment Form and submit to the EHDI Coordinator of the district that the family resides.

Reporting of results is also required for children through the age of five (5) years with the initial confirmation/diagnosis of hearing loss/impairment, which is suspected to be permanent, measured and described by a licensed audiologist is required to be reported within 7 days of diagnosis.

Hearing loss/impairment is defined as a threshold average of 15 dB or greater between 500Hz - 4000Hz, whether unilateral or bilateral.

Policies and Procedures

Joint Committee on Infant Hearing-2007 Position Statement
American Academy of Audiology (AAA) Audiologic Guidelines for the Assessment of Hearing in Infants and Young Children
AAA Pediatric Amplification guidelines

Georgia Hearing Aid Loaner Bank (GA HALB)

Georgia’s Hearing Aid Loaner Bank (GA HALB), provides temporary hearing aids for children, birth through 36 months, who are in need of temporary hearing aids. The hearing aid(s) will be loaned on a one time basis per child and includes one earmold per hearing aid. There are no financial eligibility requirements of the family and the term of the loan is for 6 months.

In order to obtain a hearing aid for a child, the fitting audiologist must submit documentation and a completed application from the child’s caregiver. Audiologist documentation includes a copy of the comprehensive audiometric evaluation and medical clearance from the otolaryngologist. Caregivers will be responsible for completing a short application, which includes signing an agreement waiver to the terms of the loan. This information is to be sent to the EHDI District Coordinator.

EHDI is hoping the loaner bank will assist families by providing temporary hearing aids while children are waiting to receive personal amplification device(s) through a third party payer such as insurance or another funding source. For more information, including application forms, please contact your EHDI District Coordinator or EHDI Program at 404-657-4143.

Other Amplification Resources for Families

There are several programs developed to assist families needing assistance to pay for assistive technology. A complete listing of resources can be found by here.

Audiology Listserv

A listserv of pediatric audiologists was created to provide as a Georgia resource to families and providers. To find an Audiologist, please link to "Audiology Services for Infants in Georgia”. To be added to the directory, complete the "Survey of Pediatric Audiology Services For Infants in Georgia.”

Georgia Department of
Public Health