How to Teach an “Old Dog” New Tricks: Improving Clinical Efficiency in a Well-Established Cochlear Implant Program

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the implementation of a new streamlined service delivery model for cochlear implant (CI) patients at a mature academic CI program. Setting Tertiary referral center. Patients CI candidates and CI users. Interventions Implementation of a new CI service delivery model. Main Outcome Measures CI surgical numbers, conversion rate from CI evaluation to surgery, documentation time, number of visits for new versus established CI users, ratio of CI clinical full-time equivalency to CI surgical numbers, time from CI referral to CI evaluation, patient travel burden. Results De-identified data from the electronic health record (EHR) were used to develop an efficiency improvement plan. With the old clinical model, audiologists' schedules were at capacity, wait for CI evaluation appointments was prolonged, and CI surgical numbers were declining. The new model implemented an interactive electronic medical record, a de-escalated postoperative programming schedule, inclusion of telehealth pre-CI surgery, and an evidence-based approach to CI programming. After a 4-year time period (2019–2022) of implementing clinical improvement strategies, the postoperative CI programming schedule in the first year after activation was reduced from 10 visits (unilateral CI user) and 16 visits (bilateral CI user) to 4 visits total. This saved the patient up to 16 hours of time at the clinic, reduced travel burden, and opened 19 weeks of appointment slots for new patients. Increased utilization of the EHR and telehealth increased the conversion rate from CI evaluation to CI surgery by 33% and decreased the no-show rate by 5%. Annual CI surgical numbers subsequently increased by 45% with the new model, which increased our program's CI utilization rate and reduced our role as a barrier to CI care. Conclusion If CI programs wish to be instrumental in improving CI utilization rates, clinical care models need to be adapted now in preparation for the projected rise in the number of potential CI candidates. This streamlined clinical efficiency model serves as an example of patient-centered CI care that can be recreated at other institutions. Outcomes from our 4-year strategic initiative will add to the scarcity of literature in this area.