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Your best bet for getting someone who takes Medicare is to go to a University-based implant center. Also, generally no catheterization is involved since the total time for surgery usually ranges from 90 minutes to 3 hours depending on the speed of your surgeon and assuming you don't have any...

ENTs never remember the lozenges. The sore throat, and reaction to acidic juices is from the intubation, which the anasthesiologists do. Hope you have a quick recovery. Sheri

Our clinic generally keeps folks overnight if: 1) the patient is under 12 months or over 65, or 2) it is a simultaneous bilateral, or 3) if the patient has other health conditions that could complicate recovery, or 4) if they have severe dizziness in the recovery room. But I agree, about 80 %...

There are several papers on PubMed regarding reimplantation. The general consensus is that the majority of reimplantation cases regain pre-implant levels of hearing within 12 months. Cochlear Reimplantation: Causes of Failure, Outcom...[Laryngoscope. 2007] - PubMed Result (a brand new...

Correct, there is a good FAQ on the topic in very easy to read language (i.e. not legalese, which I am unfortunately fluent in) at Service Animal Information The only requirement is that the animal have been "trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability" -- you do not...

There is a good book on training dogs to be hearing dogs. It was written by the woman who started (I think) the SF SPCA hearing dog training program. Amazon.com: Lend Me an Ear: The Temperament, Selection and Training of the Hearing Ear Dog: Books: Martha Hoffman

And another several years after that before insurers will reliably cover them. The other "better than a CI" treatment frequently discussed that is in development is hair cell regeneration, and one of the top researchers in that area said in his update at the cochlear implant conference in...

I appreciate you thinking we are a wonderful organization (I agree with you on that one) but not quite sure how you think we should explore newer areas of hearing loss mitigation. For my role as the director of the advocacy program, we are providing support for hearing impaired individuals...

They are definitely in school. I did an appeal for a bilateral implant for a family whose child was in school with them. That mother mentioned that she thought the girls had been turned down for second implants, I told her to tell the mom to call me, but never heard back. I also e-mailed Dr...

Good to know, thanks. I try to be scrupulously implant manufacturer neutral. Sheri

I think we are pretty much in agreement then. The biggest problem I see with the Canadian system is the lack of specialists and the wait times when the medical issue you are experiencing is more of a "quality of life" problem rather than a life-threatening issue. But maybe that's the price a...

As a Canadian now living in the US, I think I have a unique perspective to share on this topic, and reality frequently lies between the two extremes that JAG and akoutsourais have outlined, though both positions can be true. In Canada, the waiting lists and quality of health care are...

I had an e-mail / voice mail exchange with the coordinator for the adult CI program at HEI. She faxed me the prescription you need to get your CT before your referral/appointment at HEI. E-mail me at advocacy@letthemhear.org so I can forward it to you. Go get that CT ! Sheri

Med-el has a "split electrode" implant which is frequently use when severe ossification is present. When the ossification is complete, the only option is an ABI (Auditory Brainstem Implant) much more invasive surgery than a CI, not covered under all insurance plans, and HEI and one other place...

I've always wanted to do a "safety" study for people with hearing impairments and compare them to folks with normal hearing and use the results (if they are what you and I both suspect) to convince insurers that it is more expensive to NOT cover hearing aids than to cover them. Unfortunately...

My dad is the same. In fact, I suspect his hearing is worse than either mine or my daughter's. Somehow I thought my starting to wear hearing aids might spur him to at least think about it, but no. I work at what I consider to be the best clinic in the US, and I can't even get him to make an...

Welcome to the "club" Only about 20 % of private insurance includes coverage for hearing aids. Here are some of my thoughts: First of all, there is probably a good chance that Home Depot is actually your insurer, and the "insurance company" is merely a third party administrator for Home...

Ossification rates range from 20 % to 80 % with meningitis, so there is a significant chance you are completely in the clear. I don't want you to panic, I do want you to realize it is an issue. Different types of meningitis have higher rates of ossification associated with them, was your...

Focus on the message, not the messenger -- there are very few people that I know that would contend that the American health insurance system doesn't require extremely fundamental changes if not a complete overhaul. For what it's worth, the family I worked with is thrilled with how the movie...

Since there are no FDA guidelines, the insurers can pretty much do whatever they want regarding the definition of lack of benefit provided their rules are promulgated in "good faith" and not contrary to the general opinion of the otolaryngological community. Since the opinion of all ENTs is...