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ABSTRACT INFORMATION
Title: 'Issues Surrounding Lost to Follow-up' Track: 6 - Follow-up, Tracking and Data Management Keyword(s): Lost to follow-up, EHDI, EHDI-PALS Learning Objectives: Discuss the reasons that lost to follow up remains a problem. Develop and implement a plan to decrease lost to follow-up. Participate in EHDI-PALS directory. Abstract: Despite the national advent of universal newborn hearing screening, lost to follow-up remains a serious issue. Known factors that contribute to lost to follow-up include socio-economic and cultural factors, lack of follow-up facilities, and ongoing medical care for medically fragile children. Given that there is a finite window of opportunity to provide meaningful stimulation to promote language and brain development, lost to follow-up can result in serious consequences. These consequences may include cognitive and motor challenges, delayed language development, and long term language deficits. Delays in hearing loss identification may also result in increased education costs, under-employment, or unemployment. Efforts to reduce lost to follow-up focus on increasing the availability of capable facilities, state level coordination through the Departments of Health to facilitate access to services, state level directories of follow-up facilities, and a national directory of audilogical diagnostic facilities (EDHI-PALS). This poster will present background information concerning lost to follow-up and its impact upon the individual and society as well as recent efforts to decrease lost to follow-up. Presentation: This presentation has not yet been uploaded or the speaker has opted not to make the presentation available online. Handouts: Handout is not Available
PRESENTER(S) / AUTHOR(S) INFORMATION
Robert Fifer - Author University of Miami      Credentials: Ph.D.       Robert C. Fifer, is the Director of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at the Mailman Center for Child Development, University of Miami School of Medicine. He received his B.S. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in Speech-Language Pathology with a minor in Deaf Education. His M.A. is from Central Michigan University in Audiology, and his Ph.D. is from Baylor College of Medicine in Audiology and Bioacoustics. Dr. Fifer’s clinical and research interests focus on the areas of auditory evoked potentials, central auditory processing, early detection of hearing loss in children, and auditory anatomy and physiology. He is a Past-President of the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, a member of ASHA’s Health Care Economics Committee, and the ASHA representative to the American Medical Association’s Health Care Professions Advisory Committee for the Relative Value Utilization Committee in addition to being ASHA’s representative to the AMA’s Practice Expense Advisory Committee.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - Receives Consulting fee for Consulting from Duke University.   Receives Speaker for Teaching and speaking from Michigan Audiology Coalition.   Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist. Emily Steffel - Co-Presenter,Author       Emily Steffel is a fourth year audiology doctoral student from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently serving as a LEND Trainee at the Mailman Center for Child Development in Miami, FL.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - Nonfinancial - Kara Bechtold - Co-Presenter,Author       Kara Bechtold is a fourth year audiology doctoral student from the University of Cincinnati. She is currently serving as a LEND Trainee at the Mailman Center for Child Development in Miami, FL.       ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - Nonfinancial -