Cochlear implants

Cochlear implantation is a method of hearing rehabilitation that allows the patients to hear again. Cochlear implants are used to treat both children and hearing-impaired adults when the hearing impairment is severe or very severe and conventional hearing aids such as hearing aids are ineffective.

The patient's health, hearing condition and the necessity of implant surgery are first assessed by specialists who perform the implantation of such implants - the Council of Physicians of Vilnius University Hospital Santara Clinics or the Council of doctors of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Hospital Kaunas Clinics. Referrals to these facilities are issued to the patient by his or her family doctor or otolaryngologist. If the medical council decides that the patient's state of health meets the established criteria, the medical institution itself applies to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for reimbursement of the costs of purchasing a hearing implant.

The Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) budget reimburses three types of hearing implants: cochlear implants, BAHA threaded bone implants, middle ear hearing systems, and backup processors for these medical aid measures (MAM). The basic prices of all specified types of hearing implants are reimbursed to the patient only once for each ear with by the CHIF budget. The cost of purchasing a backup processor for these MAM's is reimbursed no more frequently than once every 5 years. If patients get the hearing implant removed for medical reasons, the hearing implant for the other ear may be reimbursed. In total, a person can be given no more than two hearing implants.

BAHA implants and hearing systems are used to help patients with severe both-side conductive or mixed-type hearing loss who are unable to rehabilitate their hearing due to anatomical defects in the outer and middle ears using standard hearing aids.

For more information, click here (in Lithuanian).