PP817 - The Little Program That Could: How We Grew our Cochlear Implant Program

Abstract: This presentation will share our experience expanding a hospital-based cochlear implant program. It will highlight practical strategies for increasing patient referrals and raising program visibility. Attendees will learn how we successfully promoted our program to both patients and referring providers and enhanced awareness of our services in an effort to position our center as a go-to destination for cochlear implantation. By sharing our successes, challenges, and lessons learned, this session aims to provide actionable insights for other programs seeking to grow their reach, improve patient access, and strengthen their presence in a competitive healthcare landscape.

Summary: Despite proven outcomes, cochlear implants remain vastly underutilized and maintain a low penetration rate in the United States. Recognizing our program’s unique position on the eastern end of Long Island, our team sought to increase awareness—and thereby access—to cochlear implant care in this area. To achieve this, we implemented a series of strategic initiatives to engage the community, streamline referral pathways, and strengthen relationships with local audiologists and physicians.

Our approach centered on improving access and awareness. By targeting multiple audiences, we built new referral pathways and strengthened relationships with local audiologists and physicians. We also leveraged community partnerships to increase visibility among individuals who might not have otherwise known about our program. As a result, referral volumes increased. Subsequent efforts focused on refining clinical processes to ensure that patients were connected to timely evaluations and high-quality care.

While clinical discussions often focus on technology or outcomes, this session highlights the equally critical process of ensuring that those outcomes are possible. It demonstrates how strategy, outreach, and collaboration can translate into measurable program growth and improved patient access. Attendees will gain insight into specific, replicable strategies for improving visibility and strengthening provider networks. The presentation will include data illustrating our program’s growth, lessons learned, and a discussion of future plans.

In addition to sharing our story, this session will strongly encourage audience discussion. By collectively exploring challenges and successes, we aim to equip attendees with actionable tools to enhance program growth and take practical steps toward increasing cochlear implant utilization by addressing barriers in awareness, referral, and access.