Ear health is critical to your overall health. Your ability to hear is nearly as important to your sense of belonging in the world as your ability to see. Your ears perform a second vital function: they are essential to your sense of balance, enabling you to stand, walk, and be physically active without feeling dizzy or disoriented.

That’s why audiology is part of the Baptist Health commitment to your wellness. Audiology is the medical science that deals with hearing and balance issues. Our audiologists provide an array of diagnostic and treatment solutions for persons with hearing loss, balance problems, and many other auditory and vestibular disorders.

Audiology Services for Every Stage of Life

Baptist Health views audiological health as a lifetime process. Hearing and balance disorders affect children and adults differently and call for medical care that is tailored to specific age groups.

Ear Care for Children

Pediatric audiology focuses on hearing and balance conditions that arise in children or adolescents. Ear-care services for young people include:

• Early detection of potential hearing or balance issues.
• Treatment plans for correcting or managing a developing condition.
• Follow-up care and services.

Ear Care for Adults

Many hearing and balance conditions occur in adulthood, thanks to the impact of aging on our senses. Ear care for adults may include:

• Regularly scheduled hearing tests
• Preventive measures, including earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones
• Earwax management
• Hearing aids
• Treatments for tinnitus (“ringing in the ears”)
• Treatment for balance disorders, including Ménière’s disease and other serious conditions
• Follow-up care and services

Ear health is a lifelong concern. The Baptist Health audiology team will work with you and your family to protect your hearing and balance over a lifetime.

Comprehensive Audiology Services

Hearing care is comprehensive at Baptist Health. We offer a wide range of audiologic services in a variety of settings, including medical offices, hospitals, and other care facilities. Many services are provided by audiologists, who specialize in hearing and balance conditions of the ear, but who are not medical doctors. Conditions requiring prescription medications or surgery and other complex forms of care are provided by our otolaryngologists, or ENTs, medical doctors with expertise in auditory and vestibular disorders.

Our audiology services include:

• Hearing tests by licensed audiologists.
• Physician care from board-certified otolaryngologists.
• Individualized hearing-aid fitting with computer analysis.
• Digital hearing aids, including trial period and warranty.
• Assistive and alerting devices to improve use of telephone, TV, etc.
• Repair services, batteries and accessories from full-service department.
• Custom products including swim plugs, hearing protection, musician's earplugs and earplugs for iPod/MP3 players.
• Special testing including:
  • Auditory brainstem response (ABR)
  • Electrocochleography (ECog)
  • Electronystagmogram (ENG) vestibular test

Hearing Aids and Support

Hearing aids are a key technology for maintaining ear health. They are a proven means of enhancing a person’s ability to hear clearly, understand speech and auditory communication, and relieve feelings of isolation that can result from encroaching deafness. We provide a full line of hearing-aid services at our auditory centers, including:

• Hearing assessments and evaluation
• Product selection
• Customized fitting
• Training
• Ongoing care and maintenance

Also available are assistive listening devices (ALDs) and other technologies that supplement hearing aids in combating the loss of hearing.

Audiology Conditions We Treat

Audiologists diagnose and treat medical conditions of the ear affecting your ability to hear or your sense of balance. Auditory conditions included are:

• Compromised hearing: The loss of hearing, whether gradual or sudden, is a primary focus of audiological treatments.
• Ear infections: Ear infections can lead to hearing loss or balance issues.
• Earwax removal: Excessive earwax can limit hearing and be a sign of infection.
• Auditory processing disorder (APD): APD is a medical condition which involves a disconnect between what the ears are hearing, and the brain is understanding. Related to this are difficulties in recognizing what is speech in a background sound environment.
• Tinnitus: Audiology can assist with ringing or buzzing in the ears.
• Balance disorders: Feeling dizzy or disoriented can often be traced to issues with your vestibular system – the part of your ear that helps you maintain your balance when standing or moving around.

What to Expect at Your Audiology Appointment

A visit to an audiologist is similar to other medical appointments. Your provider will begin by learning more about you — asking questions about your symptoms, medical history, and family history. They will also perform a physical examination of your ears to check for any visible concerns.

Depending on your needs, your audiologist may recommend hearing or balance tests to confirm a diagnosis. Once results are available, they will discuss your condition with you, explain treatment options, and coordinate care as needed with your primary care physician or an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist.

At your first audiology appointment, you can expect:

• A review of your medical and family history.
• A physical examination of your ears.
• Questions about your hearing and balance symptoms.
• Hearing and/or balance tests, if needed.
• A discussion of test results and diagnosis.
• Recommendations for treatment or follow-up care.
• Coordination with your primary care provider or ENT if specialist care is needed.

If you or a loved one is experiencing hearing or balance issues, the Baptist Health audiology team is here to help. For more information, call us at 1-844-679-6835.

FAQ

Is It Better to See an Audiologist or an ENT?

Your choice of provider depends on the type of services that you need. For routine hearing examinations and tests, or hearing aids and other assistive technologies, an audiologist is preferred. For a more complicated issue requiring the services of a medical doctor, an ENT (or otolaryngologist) is required.

Do You Need a Referral to See an Audiologist?

In most cases, no. However, insurance coverage varies by plan, so check your benefits before self-referring to an audiologist.

When Should You See an Audiologist?

You should see an audiologist whenever you have a hearing or balance issue that requires analysis and treatment. Audiologists provide a variety of treatment options for medical conditions of the ears. If your condition warrants the expertise of a specialist physician, your audiologist can refer you to an appropriate source.