How Patient Navigation Is Transforming Hearing Loss Care at UHealth
UHealth’s first otolaryngology patient navigator is helping families overcome barriers to care, doubling pediatric cochlear implant surgeries and accelerating treatment timelines for children with hearing loss.
When a newborn is diagnosed with hearing loss, families are suddenly thrust into a maze of appointments, testing, decisions and emotional uncertainty. That’s where Leidy Lantigua Ogando steps in.
In her role as the first patient navigator for UHealth — University of Miami Health System Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT, or Otolaryngology), Lantigua Ogando helps families whose children have been diagnosed with hearing loss transition into the outpatient clinic for comprehensive evaluation and intervention.
“Often, when families receive this overwhelming news along with an influx of education, it’s extremely overwhelming. So we help them navigate these barriers,” Lantigua Ogando said.
Breaking Barriers in Pediatric Hearing Loss Care
While she’s been in the role for less than two years, Lantigua Ogando’s work has already made a big impact. Pediatric cochlear implant surgeries have doubled.
Recently, Lantigua Ogando led a podium presentation on her work at the 2026 meeting of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACIA). The paper was coauthored by:
• Meredith Holcomb, Au.D., a professor of clinical otolaryngology and director of the hearing implant program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Chrisanda Marie Sanchez, Au.D., director of the Children’s Hearing Program and associate professor of clinical otolaryngology at the Miller School.
• Ivette Cejas, Ph.D., professor of clinical otolaryngology, pediatrics and psychology at the Miller School and director of family support services for the Children’s Hearing Program
Dr. Cejas mentored Lantigua Ogando on the paper and presentation.
“Even though the UM Children’s Hearing Program already had a multidisciplinary team, Leidy’s involvement in her new role really helped strengthen our care coordination services across audiology and surgery. Now we can get families through the process more efficiently and quickly, which I think is really impressive,” said Dr. Cejas.
Patient navigators are common in oncology, but less so in otolaryngology. Patient navigators in otolaryngology guide patients with hearing loss and their families through a sometimes overwhelming process, offering support and education in the many decisions families must make.
As with cancer care, early intervention in hearing loss can dramatically affect outcomes. Because the brain’s neuroplasticity is at its highest during the first few months of life, early detection and support can maximize a child’s ability to develop communication, speech, cognitive and social-emotional skills.
Cochlear implants are FDA approved as early as 7 months of age for babies with severe to profound hearing loss who don’t benefit enough from hearing aids. But when it comes to cochlear implantation, families face numerous obstacles. Some are psychological and emotional, and some are related to follow-up testing and imaging. Lantigua Ogando helps families negotiate these challenges, sometimes by intervening in the system itself.
For instance, one of the first things she did was establish a relationship with the hospital where patients were typically referred for imaging.
“Thanks to that partnership, families with more urgent needs can get imaging appointments scheduled more quickly, along with quicker turnaround on diagnostic reports and imaging results,” she said. “Once imaging is complete, the diagnosis and interventions can happen more quickly.”
Supporting Families Through a Complex Care Journey
Before she came to the Department of Otolaryngology in 2024, Lantigua Ogando worked in victim services and child welfare. That experience, along with the master’s degree in social work she’ll complete in July, gives her a framework for helping families navigate difficult situations.
“Coming in and engaging with families in this way already feels natural for me,” she said. “I ask, ‘Where are the needs and how can we meet them? How can we bridge the gap between what providers need from the families and what families need from us?’” she said.
Empowerment, she said, is a key part of the role.
“People don’t learn by having things done for them,” she said. “And one of the most important parts for my role is making sure families feel empowered and informed so they can self-advocate in a moment that we may not be available or when they’re visiting a different clinic. We want them to feel brave and prepared enough that they’re willing and capable of advocating not just for themselves, but for their children and their needs.”
Lantigua Ogando’s ACIA presentation showed that, in less than one year, patient navigator access doubled the number of pediatric cochlear implant surgeries. Her work also shortened the timeline of a family’s initial evaluation to surgery by nine months.
“Leidy’s work has really changed how access looks for children in our Children’s Hearing Program,” said Dr. Cejas. “This is really powerful because it helps clinicians to realize that this cochlear implant journey is not easy for everyone to navigate, especially families who are minorities or from a lower socioeconomic status. When we talk about the importance of early intervention, nine months is enormous. It can make a life-changing difference for a child.”
More from the Miller School of Medicine
University of Miami experts are advancing cochlear implant guidelines to improve access for Spanish-speaking patients with hearing loss.
An educational specialist at the Miller School is bridging clinical care and classroom support for children with cochlear implants.
Miller School experts highlight leadership in cochlear implant care at ACIA 2026, advancing research and multidisciplinary patient care.
Pediatric audiologist Chrisanda Sanchez takes the helm of the Children’s Hearing Program and offers its approach as a national model.
Tags: ACIA 2026, American Cochlear Implant Alliance, audiology, cochlear implants, Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Audiology, Dr. Chrisanda Sanchez, Dr. Ivette Cejas, Dr. Meredith Holcomb, hearing, hearing loss, Newsroom, otolaryngology