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SPECIAL FEATURE Ear, Nose & Throat Institute Opens at University Hospitals By Jennifer Carroll otolaryngology-related conditions now have easier access to comprehensive care at the new University Hospitals (UH) Ear, Nose & Throat Institute. Formally estab- lished in October, the institute streamlines the delivery of ENT services — diagnostic and therapeutic — with a team of 13 adult and pediatric otolaryngologists, head and neck surgeons, therapists and specially trained nurses available in one location. Dr. Cliff Megerian, vice chairman of the UH Case Medical Center (UHCMC) A DULTS AND CHILDREN with hearing loss, nasal polyps, voice disorders, skull base disease, head or neck cancer, or other Department of Otolaryngology and direc- tor of UHCMC Otology, Neurotology and Cochlear Implants, believes there is tremendous value in bringing diverse but related specialties together. He says the institute model provides a better approach to managing complex ENT cases than traditional methods. "In the not so distant past, ear, nose and throat specialists worked separately and at many different facilities," he says. "As patients were referred from one specialist to the next, they needed separate appointments, making care disjointed and difficult. With the UH ENT Institute, we now have an overarching organizational structure. Instead of service providers designated by specialty, we've created a single medical body for all ENT patients under a single umbrella. Here they can see all their doctors, nurses and therapists at a 'one-stop shop.'" With the former model of care, a patient with head or neck cancer would see a surgeon, an oncologist, a radiation oncolo- gist and perhaps a speech and swallowing therapist at different times in different locations. At the UH ENT Institute, all these practitioners work together side-by- side to coordinate medical care. "Our key message to patients and area physicians is that the UH ENT Institute Cliff Megerian, MD, vice chairman of the UH Case Medical Center (UHCMC) Department of Otolaryngology and director of UHCMC Otology, Neurotology and Cochlear Implants, believes there is tremendous value in bringing diverse but related specialties together in the new UH ENT Institute. PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS