2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/16/2026 | 1:55 PM - 2:55 PM | Exploring EHDI Data and the 1-3-6 Program Benchmarks | River Terrace 3/Deck 3
Exploring EHDI Data and the 1-3-6 Program Benchmarks
Since passage of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Act in 2000, the Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have supported the implementation of EHDI programs in US states and territories. The current round of funding for these programs (2025-2029) explicitly includes objectives for the 1-3-6 benchmarks of early hearing loss screening, diagnosis, and intervention. These benchmarks focus on newborns screened for hearing loss by 1 month of age, diagnosed by 3 months, and enrolled in early interventions by 6 months.
In 2023, we created https://ehdidata.wustl.edu, an online hub for state-level EHDI program data to facilitate analysis and comparisons across states and years. In this breakout session, we will present the latest available decade of 1-3-6 benchmarks data, 2013-2022, for the 50 states and DC. The purpose is to engage participants in interpreting trends and discussing how familiarity with these data can be useful for program planning and evaluation. We will cover how each of the benchmarks are calculated from raw program data, focusing on each of them individually, e.g., 3-month diagnoses rates, and together, from screening to intervention. We will also examine these outcomes alongside other program indicators like loss to follow up or documentation, and how the timed benchmarks at 1-, 3-, and 6-months of age compare to overall rates for screening, diagnoses, and enrollment.
Beyond the learning objectives listed above, we hope that this session will facilitate discussion about participants’ own program experiences, including on-the-ground challenges and successes, and how they are working to meet benchmarks for 2029.
- Participants will be able to explain how EHDI program benchmarks are measured
- Participants will be able to identify and describe trends in state EHDI program benchmarks over time
- Participants will be able to critically examine and hypothesize reasons for variation in data on newborn hearing screenings, diagnoses, and early interventions across programs and years
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Presenters/Authors
Veronica Chaitan
(Co-Presenter), Center for Public Health Systems Science, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, vlchaitan@wustl.edu;
Veronica is a Senior Data Analyst at the Center. Her current work includes the Advancing Science & Practice in the Retail Environment (ASPiRE) Tobacco Town project, PreventEd-led implementation grants focused on addressing the opioid epidemic in rural communities, and analyses of local adult tobacco surveys and CDC’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) data. Her responsibilities include data collection, management and analysis, online survey development and administration, and preparation of findings for dissemination products. Her interests include data management, visualization, and translation.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Todd Combs
(Primary Presenter), Washington University in St. Louis, toddcombs@wustl.edu;
Todd Combs is an Assistant Professor at the School of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Private donor to University.
Nature: This work is supported by charitable donations to Washington University. .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Marie Richter
(Co-Presenter), Washington University in St Louis, richter.mkat@gmail.com;
Marie Richter is a Pediatric Audiology Consultant with the Department of Audiology at the School of Medicine at Washington University in St Louis.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -