FAQs

If you are a new patient and have never been seen at UNC Health Care, please call our office at 984-974-2599 and be prepared to provide basic demographic information (name, date of birth, address, social security number and insurance information). A family member or friend may also do this. A UNC specific medical record number will be created for you and then you may proceed with scheduling a cochlear implant evaluation.

If you have been seen at UNC Health Care in the past, you already have a UNC medical record number. You can call our office at 984-974-2141 to schedule a cochlear implant evaluation.

Please note that we schedule cochlear implant evaluations primarily at our satellite clinic:

UNC Hospitals Hearing & Voice Center at Carolina Crossing
2226 Nelson Highway
Suite 102
Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Depending on the day, time, and physician, appointments may take place at different locations. Please take note from the scheduler (and the reminder that should come in the mail) as to which location your first appointment is at.

Please bring your hearing aids, copies of old hearing tests, and a list of any medications you are currently taking.

We typically encourage patients to bring a friend or family member to their appointment. However, due to current Covid-19 restrictions, we encourage patients to come alone when possible. For young patients or patients in need of assistance, please speak with our schedulers on how to safely attend your appointments.

The cochlear implant evaluation requires approximately 3-4 hours of time for the audiologic and medical evaluations.

You will undergo a series of hearing tests to assess what you hear and how much speech information you can understand with and without your hearing aids. You will be asked to listen to tones, words, and sentences in both quiet and noise conditions.

The audiologist will counsel you on your test results, make the appropriate recommendations based on the results, answer your questions, and review information on cochlear implant technology (if applicable).

After the hearing test, you will see one of our ear specialists, Dr. Pillsbury, Dr. Brown, or Dr. Dedmon. The doctor will review the hearing test results, perform a physical exam and counsel you to let you know if you are a good candidate for a cochlear implant. If you are a candidate, a CT scan will likely be accomplished.

Cochlear implantation is covered by Medicare and most private insurance companies. If you are a candidate for cochlear implantation and wish to undergo this procedure, we will request pre-authorization from your insurance company. This requires about 4 weeks of time to process. Pre-authorizations are not required for Medicare patients.

Yes, we can put you in touch with manufacturer-based cochlear implant outreach coordinators. These individuals coordinate communication between CI users and candidates.

Please feel free to contact a member of the adult cochlear implant team at 984-974-4479, option 2 for adult services.
We look forward to meeting you and helping you hear better!