Listen from ear to ear : tips of the month, 12/2011, no. 6

              Oklahoma’s Loss to Follow-up/Documentation
Is this a great state or what?????
December 2011
Issue VI
NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING PROGRAM (NHSP)
Email: DebbieE@health.ok.gov
TIP OF THE MONTH:
Reporting Pre-program your fax to 405-271-4892 and send all reports immediately Have Hearing Result Forms available next to equipment Send Hearing Result Forms via email, fax, or mail Request extra pre-paid/addressed envelopes from Newborn Hearing
OK Steps to Success Hiring a Follow-up/Audiology Coordinator Providing gold standard hearing equipment and in-services to Oklahoma Birthing Hospitals Conducting County Health Department trainings Linking with SoonerStart Part C/Child Guidance/Nursing/Children First services to provide hearing screenings to infants statewide Partnering with public and private entities to ensure all children receive appropriate follow-up Reminding providers that consistent reporting helps reduce parent confusion and stress Promoting awareness of state law indicating requirements for reporting of all hearing results for children birth to three years Requesting results for all children seen (even if results are inconclusive) to document services
The primary purpose of tracking, reporting, and follow-up in a state’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program is to ensure that all babies are screened and that those in need of further testing, evaluation, or intervention, receive comprehensive, appropriate, and timely services. Equally important , however, is that data generated through a comprehensive reporting, tracking, and follow-up system provides the basis for measuring a state’s EHDI program’s effectiveness, validity, progress, outcomes, strengths, and weaknesses. In Oklahoma, the EHDI program is housed at the Oklahoma Newborn Hearing Screening Program at the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
“Loss to follow-up” (LTFU) is a challenging issue facing the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) system nationally. LTFU occurs when a baby does not receive the recommended follow-up services. Another group of babies about which EHDI programs are missing data are those classified as “loss to documentation” (LTD) Babies in this group are those who have received services, but results have not been reported to the EHDI program, and therefore, cannot be documented. EHDI programs around the country are working diligently to reduce the numbers babies that are LTFU/LTD.
As a follow-up provider, you are a key stakeholder! To ensure that infants receive services, please report all hearing results of children seen at your location.
Oklahoma is doing a great job in facing this challenging issue!!!!!!
Oklahoma has improved from ~40% LTFU/LTD in 2006 to 10.8% LTFU/LTD in 2009
LISTEN FROM EAR TO EAR
TIPS OF THE MONTH
EVENT OF THE MONTH
HEARTS FOR HEARING
Holiday Celebration
Saturday, December 10, 2011
10:00-11:45 am
OK CityScape
1100 N. Broadway, OKC
RSVP: December 7th
(405)548-4300
Bring your favorite holiday cookies National LTF/LTD Top ContendersNational Range: 3.8%-98%(Number of infants who did not pass screening and did not return for screening)5thPlace: Oklahoma (10.8%)4thPlace: Indiana (7.4%)3rdPlace: Georgia (6.6%)2ndPlace: Pennsylvania (5.5%)Winner: Massachusetts (3.8%)