(ROCKVILLE, MD-May 20, 2002) The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) today announced its withdrawal from America's Hearing Healthcare Team Initiative (AHHTI), a coalition of ASHA, the Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), and the International Hearing Society (IHS). ASHA cited the different perspectives and cultures of the three organizations as factors in the inability to reach agreement on the definitions of the participants acceptable to ASHA. Notably, ASHA was unable to reach agreement with AAO-HNS regarding the definition of the otolaryngologist as the supervisor of balance and hearing testing and dispenser of hearing aids without any reference to the otolaryngologist's primary role as a physician with responsibilities for the medical diagnosis and surgical treatment of hearing disorders.
ASHA accepted the invitation from AAO-HNS last September to participate in the development of a public awareness initiative. Consistent with ASHA's belief that strategic alliances and collaboration with other professional and consumer organizations on specific topics are in the best interests of its members, ASHA entered into the partnership to educate the public about the profession of audiology, hearing loss and balance disorders, and the multiple ways consumers can access hearing health care.
"We came to the table in good faith, hoping that our collaboration on this initiative would increase public awareness about hearing loss and the members of the hearing health system," said ASHA President Nancy Creaghead. "ASHA participated so that we would be able to determine the definitions designed and promoted by others outside the audiology rofession. We were successful in developing a definition of the services audiologists provide by virtue of their knowledge and skills."
Nearly one year with no launch of a public awareness campaign signaled that this effort was not working. Therefore, ASHA's Executive Board made the decision that the public and its audiologist members would be better served at this time by focusing ASHA's public awareness activities.
"Consumers need to clearly understand what services each member of the hearing healthcare system can and cannot provide consistent with laws and regulations," said Creaghead. "Because we could not reach agreement on acceptable definitions for AHHTI members, ASHA can no longer remain a partner in the initiative." In the meantime, ASHA continues to promote the profession of audiology through its own public service campaign, to work with the members of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus, and to work with print and broadcast media in placing stories about hearing disorders and services provided by audiologists.
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 105,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. Audiologists are hearing health care professionals who specialize in preventing, identifying, and assessing hearing disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists are health care professionals who identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems including swallowing disorders.
