Nursing Facilities
Onsite Audiology Services
Choosing the right audiology service provider is one of the most important decisions you can make for your residents
Services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other Major Insurance carriers.
Many, if not most, residents in long term care are missing out on this basic human experience. Undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss is the culprit. Not only is it wrong to deny that human experience to the resident, it costs a lot more to care for people with undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss. Treating hearing loss has been proven to increase overall quality of life, which in turn makes it possible for staff to provide more effective care for their residents. The benefits of our program in care environments extend to many aspects.
Who We Are
The Americans for Better Hearing Foundation (ABHF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to enhancing hearing care accessibility, advocating for hearing health, and providing education to all individuals.The Foundation is particularly focused on seniors with undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss, especially those who are Medicaid recipients and face a shortage of service providers. Since 2011 we have successfully offered continuous hearing health services to approximately 150 long term care and supportive living facilities in the Chicagoland area.
Our Audiologists and Dispensers are licensed professionals who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients who have a hearing loss. Our mission is to deliver accessible, comprehensive and compassionate audiology services to all hearing impaired individuals.
ABHF offers a comprehensive array of on site audiology services including cerumen removal, hearing evaluations, hearing aids and follow up care. Our goal is to enhance the quality of life for people with hearing loss and to improve the ability for family and healthcare professionals to provide quality health care services.
How it Works:
- Read, sign and return the Facility Agreement Contract: Download Facility Agreement
- Upon receipt of the contract, we will contact you within 48 hours. Our service area covers a radius of 60 miles from Burr Ridge; however, we are willing to consider extending this radius on a case-by-case basis.
- An On-site Audiology Requirement Guide will be sent to you with your Patient Care Coordinator (PCC) who will be your liaison between your facility, ABHF and the Audiologist: DOWNLOAD On-site Audiology Requirement Guide
- The PCC, working in conjunction with your facility liaison, will set a date for the Audiologist to come on site and provide services; a minimum of eight Residents will need to be seen that day.
- Three days prior to the PCC and Audiologist coming onsite, we must have faxed to us the eight-plus Resident’s doctors orders and face sheets.
- On the day of the visit, our Audiologist will evaluate the Residents and make recommendations based on their results.
- A Daily Progress Report (DPR) will be left with the facility Director of Nursing as to the services provided and recommendations for each patient.
- If hearing aids were recommended, and the Resident agreed to them, ABHF will verify insurance eligibility and a Medical Clearance will be faxed to your facility to be signed by the Resident’s Physician or Nurse Practitioner.
- Once a MC is received and eligibility confirmed, either the Audiologist or a Hearing Instrument Dispenser will come to the facility to dispense the Resident their new hearing aids.
- As we return to your facility the following month to evaluate more of your Residents, we will follow up with our current patients.