2025 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 9-11, 2025 • Pittsburgh, PA
3/19/2024 | 11:00 AM - 11:25 AM | Enhancing and Supplementing the EHDI Information System | Granite A-C
Enhancing and Supplementing the EHDI Information System
EHDI Information Systems are a cornerstone for tracking child-specific data across the system of care. As EHDI evolves, the data system also has to keep up. As the sixth largest state, Illinois has learned many lessons about an evolving data system. The speakers will share experiences related to:
• Providing hospital “report cards” for screening
• Expansion of birth certificate data exchange to include Parent 2, free-standing birth centers, death data etc.;
• Data exchanges with Medicaid and the Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes/ Birth Defects program;
• Completing a quality assurance query on data system usefulness;
• Incorporating Family EHDI data; and
In addition to the EHDI-IS, the presenters will introduce STRATA, a separate aggregate data system. As programs look at the screening capabilities of Home Visiting, Early Childhood, preschool or daycare programs (in addition to school vision and hearing programs) there is a need for an aggregate data system that collects annual screening data. STRATA is stand-alone, web-based data system with a portal for entities to submit their annual screening reports. It has been designed to provide a variety of data reports that can be shared seamlessly with stakeholders.
- The participants can identify data elements which can be shared between state agencies and how the data may be used
- The participants will be able to state reasons collecting additional data element from birth certificates
- The participants will understand the utility of aggregate data collection separate from the EHDI-IS
Presentation:
3478265_16404CarrieBalian.pdf
Handouts:
3478265_16404CarrieBalian.pdf
Transcripts:
3478265_16404CarrieBalian.docx
Presenters/Authors
James Fritzler
(Primary Presenter,Author), Utah State University, James.Fritzler@usu.edu;
James Fritzler is a Project Manager, Analyst and Software Developer with 20 years of EHDI Data Management experience. He has directed and managed iterative software development for complex, specialized medical data management systems. In doing this work he has collaborated with eight State Departments of Health in implementing data surveillance systems and leveraged SQL Server and the Microsoft .Net Framework to build Web-based and Windows-based data management software. Additionally, his consultation with world-wide screening equipment manufacturers has established and improved hearing screening data integration.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Utah State University.
Nature: .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Ginger Mullin
(Co-Presenter,Author), Illinois Department of Public Health, ginger.mullin@illinois.gov;
Dr. Ginger Mullin has a Bachelor’s degree Communication Disorders. She also holds a Master’s and Doctoral degree in Audiology. She has worked in pediatric audiology and the EHDI system since 1995 and became Illinois’ EHDI coordinator in 2005. During that time she has been the principal investigator for both the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants/ cooperative agreements. She has received specific training in pediatrics, public health, data management and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). As the EHDI Coordinator, Dr. Mullin has worked at the state and national level to promote newborn hearing screening, audiology diagnostics, targeted intervention, family-to-family support, stakeholder education and ongoing surveillance through age 3. She has presented regionally and nationally on pediatric assessment, amplification, the EHDI system of care, and partnering with families She has been part of the leadership teams for the Newborn Hearing Screening Training Curriculum (NHSTC), EHDI-PALS, Virtual Site Visit Project (VSV), as well as the national EHDI Meeting. She has severed in many capacities, including the President for the Directors of Speech and Hearing Programs in State Health and Welfare Agencies. She is the co-leader of EHDI Chats a national forum for EHDI Coordinators to meet monthly and share seamlessly while stealing shamelessly from one another to enhance state programs. She has been nominated several time for the Antonio Maxon Award at the National EHDI Meeting and received the Seaver Vision Award. Dr. Mullin was also a key leader for the EHDI and GBYS program which received the Generating Real Action by Cultivating Engagement (GRACE) Award from Expecting Health and Baby’s First Test. Dr. Mullin sits on the Illinois Universal Newborn Screening Advisory Committee and the Illinois Interagency Council on Early Intervention to guide work for children with low-incidence sensory disabilities.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Illinois Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program .
Nature: The EHDI program is funded by HRSA and CDC.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Carrie Balian
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), Illinois Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side, cbalian6@outlook.com;
Carrie Balian is a mother of five children. Her oldest son, Jack, was born deaf. She is the Coordinator of her state Guide By Your Side (GBYS) program and has presented to groups nationwide and co-authored several publications. She currently serves as a member on the Illinois Universal Newborn Screening Advisory Committee and the Illinois Hands & Voices board. Carrie also works with Hands & Voices HQ as a Region V Coordinator and as the GBYS Program Lead. She is a graduate of the Hands & Voices L2L (Leadership to Leadership) program. Carrie has also been recognized and awarded most recently with the 2022 Family Leadership award for her support, commitment, and leadership within the field. Ms. Balian was part of the leadership team which was awarded the Generating Real Action by Cultivating Engagement (GRACE) Award from Expecting Health and Baby’s First Test.
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.
Kate Jordan
(Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), Illinois Department of Public Health / Early Hearing Detection and Intervention, kathleen.jordan@illinois.gov;
Kate Jordan M.A has an Bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology from Western Washington University and has a Master’s of audiology degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has worked in diagnostics, in educational audiology, and as supervisor to graduate clinicians. Currently, she is a vision and hearing consultant for the State of Illinois Department of Public Health. She has worked extensively with hospitals and audiologists for state reporting and diagnostic data documentation. She has been part of the intervention team that has dropped the lost to follow-up numbers in the state through the implementation of quality improvement activities. Her special interests include the continued improvement of diagnostics and intervention for the birth to three population. Ms. Jordan was part of the leadership team which was awarded the Generating Real Action by Cultivating Engagement (GRACE) Award from Expecting Health and Baby’s First Test.
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.