IHS—maximizing the role of the hearing aid specialist

Abstract

The International Hearing Society is the professional association that represents Hearing Instrument Specialists® in the United States, Canada, and globally. The Society provides competency review, continuing education, marketing support, and state/provincial and national government representation to its more than 3000 members. Formed in 1951, IHS is based in Livonia, MI. Hearing instrument specialists are hearing health professionals who test human hearing; select, fit and dispense hearing instruments; and provide counsel to the hearing impaired. During the past year, IHS has dedicated itself to an organizational restructuring designed to revitalize member involvement in policy making through a new and evolving committee system. The goal is to identify and facilitate programs and projects that will maximize the role of the hearing aid specialist. These efforts have proven effective, and membership growth continues to be strong, especially in the international arena. COMMUNICATIONS, EDUCATION, MARKETING The Hearing Professional, an award-winning magazine, is the official journal of IHS. Its content, which meets the highest standards of text-based professional publications, is relevant, timely, and recognized as important to the contemporary practice of fitting amplification and assistive technologies. The International Institute for Hearing Instruments Studies (IIHIS), the education division of IHS, remains at the forefront in providing quality educational programs and textbooks for the industry. At present, 37 states and 2 Canadian provinces use the IIHIS International Licensing Examination. Importantly, more than 800 IIHIS Licensing Examinations were administered last year, and the number is projected to be even greater in 2003. At the heart of the Society's mission to ensure continued recognition of the vital role that hearing instrument specialists play on the hearing healthcare team is PEPHIS—Professional Educational Plan-Hearing Instrument Specialists. PEPHIS was created last year to develop and ensure implementation of a long-range education plan for hearing instrument specialists. It has developed a number of strategies to market existing education programs (Arkansas State University-Mountain Home, Spokane Falls Community College, and Grant MacEwan College) available to those entering the profession as well as to professionals seeking further education to augment their existing credentials. Online educational programming, job placement services, and compatible legislative initiatives are all in the works for implementation in 2004. ADVOCACY AND LIAISON The Society is dedicated to an energetic federal advocacy and liaison effort. This work to affect federal legislation and regulations is designed to shape the brightest possible future for the profession of hearing instrument specialist and the hearing-impaired public it serves. Following are some highlights of recent federal developments: Probably the most important of these was the decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to withdraw the proposed changes to the hearing aid rule from the federal regulatory agenda in December 2001. This action clearly demonstrated the benefit of the Society's commitment to maintaining a seat at the federal health policy table. At the sixth annual IHS/AAO-HNS (American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery) joint leadership meeting in May 2003, the two organizations finalized efforts to replicate their successful federal advocacy efforts at the state level. In August, IHS and AAO-HNS unveiled a state liaison effort, which includes formation of an official liaison between designated IHS and AAO-HNS members in states across the country. Activities that may result from this program include sharing of information about state legislative and regulatory developments. This summer, the Society accepted an invitation to serve on the new advisory committee to the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus. The Hearing Health Caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral group of members of Congress who are committed to supporting hearing health issues. The advisory committee will work to encourage additional members of Congress to join the Caucus, explore topics for caucus briefings, assist in planning special events, and seek sponsors for caucus events. In other action, the Society has worked diligently to educate members about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Informational materials and resources have appeared in The Hearing Professiona l and are currently available on the IHS web site. Further, IHS directed Washington counsel to develop a HIPAA compliance kit tailored to the hearing instrument specialist, which was mailed to all of its dispensing members in the U.S. PLANS FOR 2004 Next year, the International Hearing Society will continue its focus on enhancing member benefits and participation. Plans include implementing Phase II of the IHS web site, with an emphasis on consumer outreach and online education. Development of a new “branding” image for IHS and its members is also under way.