SELECT PHYSICIANS ALLIANCE

An otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon provides comprehensive medical and surgical care for patients with diseases and disorders that affect the ears, nose, throat, the respiratory and upper alimentary systems and related structures of the head and neck. An otolaryngologist diagnoses and provides medical and/or surgical therapy or prevention of diseases, allergies, neoplasms, deformities, disorders and/or injuries of the ears, nose, sinuses, throat, respiratory and upper alimentary systems, face, jaws and the other head and neck systems. Head and neck oncology, facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and the treatment of disorders of hearing and voice are fundamental areas of expertise.

(1) A specialist in evaluation, habilitation and rehabilitation of those whose communication disorders center in whole or in part in hearing function. Audiologists are autonomous professionals who identify, assess, and manage disorders of the auditory, balance and other neural systems. Audiologists provide audiological (aural) rehabilitation to children and adults across the entire age span. Audiologists select, fit and dispense amplification systems such as hearing aids and related devices. (2) An audiologist is a person qualified by a master's degree in audiology, licensed by the state, where applicable, and practicing within the scope of that license. Audiologists evaluate and treat patients with impaired hearing. They plan, direct and conduct rehabilitative programs with audiotry substitutional devises (hearing aids) and other therapy.

The speech-language pathologist is the professional who engages in clinical services, prevention, advocacy, education, administration, and research in the areas of communication and swallowing across the life span from infancy through geriatrics. Speech-language pathologists address typical and atypical impairments and disorders related to communication and swallowing in the areas of speech sound production, resonance, voice, fluency, language (comprehension and expression), cognition, and feeding and swallowing.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also referred to as rehabilitation medicine, is the medical specialty concerned with diagnosing, evaluating, and treating patients with physical disabilities. These disabilities may arise from conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system such as neck and back pain, sports injuries, or other painful conditions affecting the limbs, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Alternatively, the disabilities may result from neurological trauma or disease such as spinal cord injury, head injury or stroke. A physician certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation is often called a physiatrist. The primary goal of the physiatrist is to achieve maximal restoration of physical, psychological, social and vocational function through comprehensive rehabilitation. Pain management is often an important part of the role of the physiatrist. For diagnosis and evaluation, a physiatrist may include the techniques of electromyography to supplement the standard history, physical, x-ray and laboratory examinations. The physiatrist has expertise in the appropriate use of therapeutic exercise, prosthetics (artificial limbs), orthotics and mechanical and electrical devices.

An otolaryngologist who specializes in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of head and neck conditions.

A pediatric otolaryngologist has special expertise in the management of infants and children with disorders that include congenital and acquired conditions involving the aerodigestive tract, nose and paranasal sinuses, the ear and other areas of the head and neck. The pediatric otolaryngologist has special skills in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of childhood disorders of voice, speech, language and hearing.

An otolaryngologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of otolaryngic allergies and other allergic diseases.

An Otolaryngologist who practices Sleep Medicine is certified in the subspecialty of sleep medicine and specializes in the clinical assessment, physiologic testing, diagnosis, management and prevention of sleep and circadian rhythm disorders. Sleep specialists treat patients of any age and use multidisciplinary approaches. Disorders managed by sleep specialists include, but are not limited to, sleep related breathing disorders, insomnia, hypersomnias, circadian rhythm sleep disorders, parasomnias and sleep related movement disorders.

An audiologist/hearing aid fitter is the professional who specializes in evaluating and treating people with hearing loss, conducts a wide variety of tests to determine the exact nature of an individual's hearing problem, presents a variety of treatment options to patients, dispenses and fits hearing aids, administers tests of balance to evaluate dizziness and provides hearing rehabilitation training. This classification should be used where individuals are licensed as "audiologist-hearing aid fitters" as opposed to states that license individuals as "audiologists".

An otolaryngologist with additional training in plastic and reconstructive procedures within the head, face, neck and associated structures, including cutaneous head and neck oncology and reconstruction, management of maxillofacial trauma, soft tissue repair and neural surgery. The field is diverse and involves a wide age range of patients, from the newborn to the aged. While both cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries are practiced, there are many additional procedures which interface with them.

An otolaryngologist who specializes in facial plastic surgery.

An otolaryngologist who treats diseases of the ear and temporal bone, including disorders of hearing and balance. The additional training in otology and neurotology emphasizes the study of embryology, anatomy, physiology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, pathology, genetics, immunology, microbiology and the etiology of diseases of the ear and temporal bone.

Source: NUCC, CMS