EPIC-EHDI is a three-year grant program that is funded by the PA Department of Health’s Newborn Hearing Screening Program and works in collaboration with the state Infant Hearing Screening Advisory Committee.

The main goal of the EPIC-EHDI program is to educate community physicians, hospital screeners and hospital staff in the importance of universal hearing screening for all newborns, to assure referral, follow-up and diagnosis of infants to determine hearing impairment, and to facilitate treatment management and early intervention services for infants diagnosed with hearing impairment. The primary responsibilities of the PA AAP in implementing the EPIC-EHDI program are: 1) identify a primary care physician/medical home for all newborns; 2) provide education and outreach to primary care physicians regarding the importance of diagnosis of hearing loss by 3 months of age; 3) provide technical assistance to birth hospitals, audiologists and primary care physicians; and 4) improve follow-up care for children diagnosed with hearing loss.

Specific activities of the EPIC-EHDI program include:

• Working with hospitals and pediatric practices to identify ways to better communicate newborn hearing screening results.
• Sponsoring CME-accredited teleconferences and group practice presentations.
• Providing a free online CME course on early hearing detection and intervention, known as ONLI-EHDI. This course uses a case-based format to cover: 1) Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and the time line of evaluations; 2) primary care of children who do not pass the hearing screen; and 3) clinical approach on the basis of family and cultural issues. ONLI-EHDI also has a resource listing for physicians as well as for parents.
• Publishing a parent resource guide titled “A World of Opportunity.” These guides have been mailed to pediatric and family practices in Pennsylvania to give to parents of children diagnosed with a hearing loss.
• Working with Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance (PaTTAN) to compile and publish a list of pediatric audiologists in Pennsylvania.