The INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center's Cochlear Implant Clinic located at the Hough Ear Institute was established in 1979 to provide a hearing option for the profoundly hearing impaired. Some hearing-impaired children and adults do not derive sufficient benefit from traditional hearing aids or vibrotactile devices to enable them to process spoken language or speech.

This clinic's early involvement with cochlear implants began with the co-investigative implantation of the single-channel cochlear implant for total deafness. In 1978, it contributed to the development and invention of magnetic coupling now a feature of most cochlear implants, the implantation of the first child under three years of age, and pioneered in the development and co-investigation of the multi-channel cochlear implant. Multi channel cochlear implants were developed to provide auditory information and improve communication ability.

This clinic has not only serviced Oklahoma and the United States, but people throughout the world who travel to seek out the services we offer. We had the privilege of implanting the first successful cochlear implant in a deaf-blind patient and pioneered in the implantation of the nucleus 22-channel cochlear implants in both children and adults. More recently we established our Hearing Enrichment Language Program (HELP) and continue to participate in clinical trials of new devices with two cochlear implant companies (Cochlear Corporation and Advanced Bionics).

The clinic was founded and directed by the Medical Director, J.V.D. Hough, M.D., and a team of otolaryngologists, certified audiologists, speech-language pathologists, deaf educator, clinical physiologist and clinic coordinator. This team is committed to providing a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation which is an integral part of a program designed to promote the maximal use of auditory stimulation.