In 2001, The International Hearing Society joined forces the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery to launch America 's Hearing Healthcare Team Initiative. The purpose of this important public health and education effort is to raise awareness of hearing loss, its causes, its prevention and treatment options.
These two organizations recognize the significant unmet need for hearing healthcare services and commit to augmenting awareness of hearing health and improving patient access to hearing healthcare providers. Presently, only 20 percent of the nation's approximately 28 million citizens who are living with diminished hearing actually seek hearing healthcare services. Multiple points of entry to hearing healthcare through team members increase the likelihood that patients with hearing or balance disorders will receive appropriate care.
AHHT is built on the certainty that the best quality of hearing healthcare is provided by the collaborative effort of professionals. The Hearing Healthcare Team consists of the otolaryngologist - head and neck surgeon, audiologist, hearing aid specialist, primary care physician, consulting physician, nurse, speech-language pathologist, educator, and researcher.
AAO-HNS and IHS have agreed to the following definition of hearing aid specialists, which reflects their vital role as an important entry point into the hearing healthcare delivery system.
Hearing Aid Specialists are independent professionals and strategically placed members of America 's Hearing Healthcare Team. Hearing Aid Specialists provide direct patient care, including the selection and fitting of the most appropriate assistive hearing device. This specialist has specific training in assessment and testing of patients who seek rehabilitation for hearing loss. They collaborate with physicians and other members of the hearing healthcare team to maximize access and provide the most effective hearing healthcare services. Hearing Aid Specialists adhere to the medical referral criteria developed by the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS). The nationally accepted standard for Hearing Aid Specialists is certification by the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences, which awards the Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences (BC-HIS) designation.
Advancing technology and expanding knowledge now offer new hope to the nation's hearing impaired who have been isolated by hearing loss, which is one of the nation's most prevalent chronic conditions. In May 1999, the National Council on Aging found that "[m]ost hearing aid users report significant benefits from the aids -- in family relationships, mental health, and other areas
that affect the quality of their lives."
America 's Hearing Healthcare Team is dedicated to reaching out to all those who could be helped.
American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
K. J. Lee, MD, President
Jack L. Gluckman, MD, Immediate Past President
International Hearing Society
Scott A. Austin, BC-IHS, President
Kathy Harvey, BC-HIS, CCC-A, Immediate Past President
