The power of a team: An audiologist and ENT in one location to offer patients better care

By Patricia Nugent

Bert Brown, MD, of Cleveland Ear Nose and Throat/Physician Hearing Centers, took over the ENT Group of Cleveland and West Shore Hearing Center last year in Westlake, going beyond the norm and offering an enhanced quality of private practice care for ear, nose and throat conditions as well as hearing loss.

This successful formula of individualized treatment for pediatric and adult ENT problems, along with hearing testing and custom-fitting hearing aids, has received five-star reviews from a growing patient population.

“With all of the uncertainties going on in the world right now, at least folks know they can rely on our consistent care,” says Dr. Brown, who has been an ENT specialist for more than 30 years. “Unlike navigating through the behemoth hospital systems in town, people appreciate how simple it is to communicate with us directly and reach me quickly with any questions.”

He offers therapeutic and surgical means of correcting issues as wide-ranging as ear wax build-up, allergies, ear and sinus infections, throat infections, swallowing problems, neck masses, thyroid conditions and snoring.

“I enjoy my field of medicine because the problems are fixable,” he says. “No one should suffer needlessly from any of these conditions when I can make their life better.”

The Medical Doctor/Audiologist One-Two Punch
Dr. Brown partners with audiologist Dr. Louis Billera, and the audiology staff, to diagnose and treat hearing loss.

“Having an ENT and audiologist within the same practice means patients receive better care,” says Dr. Brown, who notes they are the only practice in the area to offer this. “Dr. Billera and I frequently collaborate on care plans. Outcomes are improved when you approach issues from two perspectives. Plus, it provides one-stop shopping and convenience for patients.”

With more and more studies connecting hearing loss with cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Billera considers his proactive care crucial to aging seniors.

“People with uncorrected hearing loss are up to five times more likely to suffer from cognitive decline,” he says. “Hearing loss also leads to social isolation, which can cause anxiety and depression. It’s important to protect your hearing. Often people don’t realize they are slipping until there’s significant loss.”

The gentlemen work with a variety of state-of-the-art devices, many connected via Bluetooth, to deliver the clearest quality of hearing currently available. They comment that the technology in the field has improved dramatically over the past several years, and the timing couldn’t be better.

“We’ve definitely seen an uptick in patients coming to us for hearing testing since the mask order went into place,” says Dr. Brown. “When you put on a mask, you instantly miss all the visual cues you may have been subconsciously using to compensate for hearing loss.”

In addition to hearing aids, the practice also offers therapy for patients suffering from tinnitus, which is noise or ringing in the ear.

Safeguarding the Patient Experience
As soon as Covid-19 hit in March, Dr. Brown made the difficult decision to briefly close his offices so the staff could put into place layers of protocols to ensure patients’ safety.

“We’ve redirected the patient flow and are seeing fewer people to allow limited contact with others and time for us to thoroughly sterilize between visits,” he says.

The team also created telehealth options and limited-contact curbside visits, which the patients really appreciate.

“Our goal is for patients to feel completely safe and secure when coming in, and I believe we’ve achieved that,” he says.

ENT Group of Cleveland/West Shore Hearing Center is located in the Fairview Hospital/Cleveland Clinic Building B at 805 Columbia Road, Suite 111, Westlake (just off the I-90 Columbia Road exit). Parking is ample. As a private practice, there are no facility fees. Other locations: Mayfield Heights and Macedonia. Call 440-808-9469 or visit ENTGroupCleveland.com or PhysicianHearingCenters.com for more information.