18th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 3-5, 2019 • Chicago, IL
3/09/2015 | 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM | Lessons Learned Through a Recent Connecticut EHDI Program–Diagnostic Audiology Center Collaboration – One Small Change at a Time | Segell | 6
Lessons Learned Through a Recent Connecticut EHDI Program–Diagnostic Audiology Center Collaboration – One Small Change at a Time
Based on the premise that a series of small changes in state EHDI systems can have a large impact on improved follow-up between newborn hearing screening and diagnosis, the Connecticut EHDI Program and the Audiology Department at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center joined forces, with guidance from a Quality Improvement Advisor at NCHAM, to continue the quality improvement work initiated by the Improving Hearing Screening and Intervention Systems (IHSIS) Learning Collaborative. Audiology facilities are up against a variety of challenges in their role as infant diagnostic testing centers in the EHDI system. They are charged with facilitating diagnosis by three months of age, reporting evaluation results to the state EHDI program, managing broken appointments and last minute appointment cancellations, on top of working with an often unpredictable infant population (“my baby just doesn’t sleep!”). Based on the data available through the state EHDI program and appointment histories at Connecticut Children’s these partners set out to test a number of small change strategies to both 1) reduce the number of appointments and visits leading up to a complete diagnosis and 2) improve reporting to the state EHDI program. The strategies presented will include, making an appointment prior to discharge, the use of outreach letters, an exchange of upcoming appointment information for newborn hearing screening results, parent reminder calls, and interdepartmental scheduling modifications. The results were varied yet valuable in different ways, and each will be discussed. Some strategies were modified and adopted, others had unexpected but positive outcomes that could be adapted and applied moving forward, while others were abandoned. This session will discuss the implications of these findings for continued quality improvement work and future EHDI program enhancements and collaborative opportunities.
- Identify the benefits of collaboration between an EHDI program and a diagnostic audiology center working together to test small change strategies
- Understand the value in both successful and unsuccessful tests of change
- Examine ideas to advance quality improvement work in home state
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Presenters/Authors
Nancy Bruno
(Co-Presenter,Author), Connecticut Children's Medical Center, nbruno01@connecticutchildrens.org;
Dr. Bruno has served as the clinical manager of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Audiology Department since 2007. Prior to joining Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Dr. Bruno worked at Yale-New Haven Hospital where she was instrumental in developing that hospital’s newborn hearing screening and follow-up program. She is a member and past chair of the CT EHDI Task force and a member and current Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the Connecticut Academy of Audiology.
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Amy Mirizzi
(Primary Presenter,Co-Presenter,Author,POC), Connecticut Department of Public Health, amy.mirizzi@ct.gov;
Amy Mirizzi has served as the Connecticut EHDI Coordinator since 2008. She was hired by the Connecticut Department of Public Health in 2005 to oversee EHDI tracking and surveillance. She is a member and past chair of the CT EHDI Task Force, a member of the CT Department of Rehabilitation Services, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Advisory Board, and a member of the Directors of Speech and Hearing Programs in State Health and Welfare Agencies. Ms. Mirizzi is responsible for overall program functions, policy development, technical support to hospitals and diagnostic testing centers, consultation on database design and development, provider and family education and outreach, and ongoing program evaluation.
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