17th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 18-20, 2018 • Denver, CO

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  |  Ensuring All Babies who Refer Inpatient Receive Timely Follow Up

Ensuring All Babies who Refer Inpatient Receive Timely Follow Up

From 2000-2016, the HRSA grant goals focused on ensuring babies are screened according to the JCIH 1-3-6 guidelines, and reducing lost to follow-up after the child does not pass inpatient. Although the focus of the HRSA grant has shifted, reducing LTFU is still a key component for EHDI programs. If the screening and diagnostic steps in the follow-up process are not completed, the subsequent family support and early intervention steps will not happen. In 2014, that CDC reported that while 97.9% of infants receive an inpatient hearing screening, only 64.6% are known to have the recommended outpatient testing, and 34.4% are lost to the system. Based on CDC probability model calculations, ~ 3,600 in this "lost” group could have permanent hearing loss. According to recent HSFS data from CDC, Nebraska’s lost to follow-up rate has been reduced from 41.1% in 2010 to 9% in 2014. Not only has the NE-EHDI rate decreased dramatically, the 2014 rate is significantly lower than the 2014 national average of 34.4%. The objective of this poster is to detail simple and replicable techniques used by NE-EHDI to reduce lost to follow-up. Techniques include: Frequent phone calls to parents to educate them about the importance of follow up; phone calls to PCP’s to ensure that appropriate parent education is occurring at well child checks; communication with birth hospital staff via phone, e-mail, and face-to-face hospital site visits to maintain successful newborn hearing screening programs; relationship building with EHDI partners; increased input and assistance from the Guide By Your Side program; use of certified letters to parents to show proof that information has been received; involving Nebraska’s Early Development Network earlier in the process to assist families with resources; information exchange with bordering states; and involving Child Protective Services when medical neglect is suspected.

  • Reducing Lost to Follow up
  • Building relationships with stakeholders
  • Improving parent education

Presentation:
15805_7822MeLissaButler.pdf

Handouts:
Handout is not Available

Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference


Presenters/Authors

MeLissa Butler (), NE-EHDI, melissa.butler@nebraska.gov;
MeLissa Butler has been with the Nebraska Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program since April, 2011, and serves as Community Health Educator Senior. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Technical Studies from Bellevue University. MeLissa’s training includes Evidence Based Public Health-A Course in Chronic Disease Prevention; American Sign Language; Genetics and Hearing Loss for EHDI Professionals; ASTra Family Support training; and she is a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt.

ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.


Brenda Coufal (), Nebraska Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (NE-EHDI) Program, Department of Health and Human Services, brenda.coufal@nebraska.gov;
Brenda Coufal has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Brenda has extensive experience in program management, planning and supervising; budget development and monitoring; survey methodology; grant writing and grant reports; and public relations. She has been with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services in the Public Health Division since February, 1999. Brenda was part of the team involved in the development of the policy guidelines, procedures, and protocols for starting the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Program in Nebraska in 1999. She was the PRAMS Data Manager from February 1999 – March 2005 and the PRAMS Program Coordinator from April 2005 – August 2016. She has been the NE-EHDI Program Manager since August 10, 2016.

ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial - No relevant financial relationship exist.

Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.