Improving Timely Documentation, Reporting, and Analysis of Diagnostic and Intervention Data through Optimization of EHDI Surveillance Practices and Information Systems

CDC Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) has awarded previous cooperative agreements that have supported jurisdictions in implementing a broad range of activities to develop, improve and maintain their EHDI Information System (EHDI-IS). These activities have resulted in over 95% of newborns screened and improved early identification of deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) infants. Even with these successes the capabilities of the EHDI-IS vary and some infants are not documented as having received recommended follow-up diagnostic testing and intervention services. Ensuring that follow-up services are provided is essential in meeting the needs of children who are D/HH and increasing the impact of state EHDI programs. A key goal of the EHDI program is to ensure that children who are D/HH develop language skills commensurate with their hearing peers by kindergarten. This begins with early diagnosis and timely enrollment into intervention services. “Early” is defined as being identified before three months of age and enrolled in intervention services before six months of age. The timely receipt of diagnostic and intervention services is made possible in part by jurisdictions using their CDC-funded EHDI-IS to actively track infants to make sure they receive essential screening, diagnostic, and intervention services. This new NOFO aims to continue to advance the system's capacity by optimizing jurisdictions’ existing EHDI-IS and expanding their ability to report, analyze, and use patient-level data. This will include supporting states to: Report patient-level data on all occurrent births (excluding direct identifiers) Refine existing tracking and surveillance practices Optimize EHDI-IS functionality to support data collection, tracking and documentation of follow-up diagnostic and intervention services Strengthen capacity for timely reporting and analysis of data to support real-time decision making by state programs