How many of your patients present with ear complaints?
• Ear pain
• Sudden hearing loss
• A child with URL, fever and erythematous tympanic membrane
• Ear fullness or pressure
• New onset dizziness or tinnitus
TYMPANOMETRY
is a simple 3-5 second test to objectively determine middle ear status, enabling accurate diagnosis and effective treatment for these symptoms.
Did you know?
COMMON ISSUE
Ear pain (otalgia) is the 5th most frequent reason for urgent care visits.(3)
REIMBURSEMENT
Medicare/Medicaid pays around $15 per tympanometry test. In urgent care pilot programs, providers use tympanometry 3-4 times per day, seeing about 25 patients daily. This could lead to an annual revenue of approximately $14,404 per provider.
ANTIBIOTIC STEWARDSHIP
​Antibiotic resistance is a major public health issue, causing 2 million infections and 23,000 deaths annually in the U.S.(4) About 30% of antibiotics prescribed in outpatient settings are unnecessary. Tympanometry can help raise diagnostic ear accuracy to > 90% and reduce unnecessary antibiotics.
HEARING LOSS
​Each year, approximately 66,000 Americans experience sudden hearing loss. Distinguishing between nerve loss versus conductive loss is crucial. Misdiagnosis can lead to permanent neural hearing loss. Tympanometry can confirm the presence of middle ear fluid (conductive loss) versus the absence of fluid (neural loss), direct treatment and appropriate ENT referral.(5)
PEDIATRIC VISITS
​In 2023, 29% of children were seen in urgent care settings rather than by their pediatricians. Acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) remain one of the most common reasons for pediatric office visits.Tympanometry is Strongly Recommended in OME guidelines when a provider is not certain of status of middle ear.(6) AAP guidelines claim that AOM CAN NOT be diagnosed with a normal tympanogram.(7)
Partner with MAICO and Compassio.
To fully benefit from tympanometry, education and support are crucial. MAICO and Compassio offer a complete package that includes the tympanometer, training on its use, case studies, and weekly access to an ENT specialist for seven weeks. This package is included at no extra cost beyond the standard price of the tympanometer.