Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, and Misophonia Clinic
Tinnitus
Our facility is a teaching clinic and your management plan will be done by doctoral graduate students in Audiology under the supervision of a licensed Audiologist. By using our services, you agree to permit professionals and pre-professionals to observe assessment and management sessions.
Welcome to The University of South Florida Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, and Misophonia Clinic, where we provide individualized management plans for individuals 18 and older with debilitating tinnitus. Our dedicated graduate students, under supervision of our licensed audiologists, are committed to guiding you through a comprehensive and personalized tinnitus management program. Over the next 6 to 18 months, we focus on six foundational pillars to help you achieve habituation of the emotional reactions to tinnitus and enhance your overall well-being.
- Education and Counseling: Empower yourself with knowledge about tinnitus, gain control, and improving your quality of life through effective management strategies.
- Sound Enrichment: Use sound enrichment by default over the next 6 to 18 months to help restore hyperactive brain activity to typical or near typical levels, leading to reduced attention to tinnitus and emotional acceptance over time. Please note that sound therapy is an integral part of tinnitus management. Many hearing aids have built in sound generators. If you have hearing aids from Oticon, Phonak, GN Resound, Widex, Signia, or Starkey they most likely have a sound generator that we can activate and program. We cannot program hearing aids purchased from Costco, Beltone, MiracleEar, or over the counter hearing aid companies that sell locked hearing aids.
- Relaxation & Self-Regulation: Utilize your senses to break the tinnitus fight-or-flight cycle by incorporating techniques like exercise, diet improvement, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation.
- Shifting Attention: Identify moments when you are not aware of your tinnitus by engaging in activities such as talking with friends and family, listening to music, attending events, or watching your favorite TV show.
- Optimize Sleep: Reduce stress and improve overall well-being through prioritizing quality sleep.
- Reframing Negative Thinking: Identify and change unhelpful negative thoughts and behaviors, positively influencing emotional responses.
Our holistic strategy aims to provide relief, and in some cases, we may recommend a multi-disciplinary approach by referring you to additional providers.
Misophonia
Candidates for our misophonia management program are 12 or older, at least average intellectual ability, and are willing to utilize sound therapy. Our facility is a teaching clinic and your management plan will be done by doctoral graduate students in Audiology under the supervision of a licensed Audiologist. By using our services, you agree to permit professionals and pre-professionals to observe assessment and management sessions.
The University of South Florida Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, and Misophonia Clinic employs a transdisciplinary approach to misophonia management. Currently there are no evidenced-based treatments available for misophonia. However, there are coping strategies designed to support those with misophonia. During your appointment, we will conduct a survey of the impact of misophonia, discuss current scientific research, and strategies to prevent and manage symptoms. We will guide you through our comprehensive Misophonia Toolbox to provide practical steps for managing your response to triggers. Management strategies include strategies from a variety of disciplines such as audiology, psychology, neurology, and occupational therapy. If suggested, we will evaluate your hearing and measure your tolerance to sounds. In addition, in most cases we will recommend the use of ear level sound generators.
A 504 plan can provide accommodations and support for a student with misophonia in a school setting. We can write a letter of support to schools to help implement a 504 plan. Accommodations can help create a more supportive and effective learning environment for a student with misophonia, enabling them to better focus on their education and participate fully in school activities. Our holistic strategy aims to provide relief, and in some cases, we may recommend a multi-disciplinary approach by referring you to additional providers.
Policies & Procedures
At USF Hearing Clinic, we are dedicated to providing personalized and evidence-based tinnitus management services. We understand that managing tinnitus can be challenging, and we are here to guide you through every step of the process. Please review our policy regarding tinnitus management, including insurance coverage and estimated costs.
Insurance Coverage for Tinnitus Services
- Hearing and tinnitus evaluations are typically covered by most insurance plans. However, we strongly encourage you to verify this directly with your insurance provider to ensure coverage for your specific plan.
- Tinnitus management services, including consultations and sound generator programming, are not typically covered by insurance. Therefore, you will be responsible for the costs of these services. We will not bill insurance for these procedures.
- If your private insurance company offers hearing aid coverage, we will work with them to ensure payment. However, patients are responsible for understanding details of coverage and hearing aids or sound generators will not be dispensed until full payment is received.
Payment Policy
- All payments are due at the time of service.
- We do not bill insurance for the tinnitus management services.
Estimated Costs for Tinnitus Management Services - Sound Generator
The following are estimated costs for tinnitus management, which may vary based on individual needs and services provided.
Total Estimated Cost: $2,580
What’s Included in the Total Cost
- Two Bluetooth Widex sound generators with two custom earmolds to help manage tinnitus symptoms.
- Custom musician’s plugs to protect hearing and reduce sound sensitivities.
- Comprehensive tinnitus counseling, including counseling sessions over six months to guide you in managing tinnitus effectively.
- Visits over six months will be charged $120 per visit.
Estimated Costs for Tinnitus Management Services - Hearing Aid and Sound Generator (Combination Devices)
The following are estimated costs for tinnitus management, which may vary based on individual needs and services provided.
Total Estimated Cost: $4,570
What’s Included in the Total Cost
- Two Widex Moment 220 sRIC hearing aid combination devices and two custom earmolds to help manage tinnitus.
- Custom musician’s plugs to protect hearing and reduce sound sensitivities.
- Comprehensive tinnitus counseling, including counseling sessions over six months to guide you in managing tinnitus effectively.
- Visits over six months will be charged $120 per visit.
Estimated Costs for Tinnitus Management Services – Current Hearing Aid User
The following are estimated costs for tinnitus management, which may vary based on individual needs and services provided.
Total Estimated Cost: $650
What’s Included in the Total Cost
- Sound generator programming to help manage tinnitus. Please note that not all hearing aids have sound generators and you will need to talk to your fitting audiologist to confirm.
- Custom earmolds for the hearing aids.
- Custom musician’s plugs to protect hearing and reduce sound sensitivities.
- Comprehensive tinnitus counseling, including counseling sessions over six months to guide you in managing tinnitus effectively.
- Visits over six months will be charged $120 per visit.
You may require additional sessions or services based on your progress, which may result in additional fees not included in the initial estimate.
Estimated Costs for Misophonia Management Services
The following are estimated costs for misophonia management, which may vary based on individual needs and services provided.
Total Estimated Cost: $2,000
What’s Included in the Total Cost
- Two Bluetooth Widex sound generators with two custom earmolds to help manage misophonia.
- Custom musician’s plugs to protect hearing and reduce sound sensitivities.
- Comprehensive misophonia counseling, including counseling sessions over three months to guide you in managing misophonia effectively.
- Visits over three months will be charged $120 per visit.