Perspectives on Aural Rehabilitation and Its Instrumentation

Coordinator's Column

Erdman, S. A. — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:23 PST

Third-Party Payment for Auditory Rehabilitation

White, S. C. — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:23 PST

This article provides updated information on third party reimbursement for auditory rehabilitation services provided by speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Differences between the coverage for auditory rehabilitation provided by Medicare, Medicaid, and private health plans are described. Coding and permissible auditory habilitation/rehabilitation services for implanted patients are explained.

The ICF: A Classification System and Conceptual Framework Ideal for Audiological Rehabilitation

Gagne, J.-P., Jennings, M. B., Southall, K. — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:23 PST

In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, commonly referred to as the ICF (WHO, 2001), which is a biopsychosocial classification system of health. It provides a common framework for describing consequences of health conditions and specifically for understanding the dimensions of health and functioning. The ICF is particularly relevant for rehabilitation sciences because the health conditions of people seeking rehabilitation services are typically chronic and the associated impairments cannot be cured. The present article highlights some key differences between a curative and a rehabilitative approach to health services. Then, the components of the IFC are defined, described, and illustrated. The main characteristics of the classification system are outlined. Finally, some important features associated with the use of the ICF as a conceptual framework for clinical services in rehabilitative audiology are presented.

Therapeutic Factors in Group Counseling: Implications for Audiologic Rehabilitation

Erdman, S. A. — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:23 PST

The purpose of this article is to describe therapeutic factors that constitute mechanisms of change in group intervention. These therapeutic factors occur in groups with varied populations in varied settings and have important implications for group approaches to aural/audiologic rehabilitation. Factors included in the review are universality, instillation of hope, imparting information, altruism, imitative behavior, group cohesion, interpersonal learning, development of socializing techniques, recapitulation of the family, catharsis, and existential issues. The discussions largely are based on Irvin Yalom's therapeutic factors but include references from a wide-range of sources throughout the medical, psychological, and rehabilitative fields.