Biotechnology innovator Eosera  announced the launch of its Ear Itch MD and Wax Blaster MD products at CVS drugstores nationwide and the expansion of its full ear care offering at Amazon. Ear Itch MD and Wax Blaster MD are said to be the latest in a broadening Eosera product line that helps bring relief to people beset with troublesome ear-related conditions. All six of Eosera’s products can now be purchased at Eosera’s Amazon store.

Ear care is vital to preserving individual quality of life. At Eosera, we hope that we can help you improve your quality of life.

EOSERA®, Inc is a majority woman-owned biotech company committed to developing innovative products that address underserved healthcare needs. Eosera is said to operate by putting “purpose before profits” and is proud to be one of the pioneering companies in a movement called  Conscious Capitalism. Since launching EarwaxMD, Eosera has expanded its offering to include: Earwax MD®, Earwax MD® for Kids, Ear Pain MD™, Ear Pain MD™ for Kids, Ear Itch MD®, Wax Blaster MD®, and Earwax PET®. Eosera’s CEO Elyse Dickerson was recently named ‘2019 Fort Worthian to Watch.’ In 2018, Eosera received the 2018 Top Women Owned Business Award by Fort Worth Business Press as well as the Women in Business Award by the Dallas Business Journal. Eosera’s products are currently available at CVS and Rite Aid stores nationwide, at select Target stores across the country, and online at Amazon.

Source: Eosera

Image: Eosera

AuDConnex announces a partnership with ESCO, a comprehensive insurance provider for hearing instruments. The partnership is said to give AuDConnex and ESCO an opportunity to develop programs that promote and endorse loss, damage, and hearing aid repair coverage to AuDConnex Members, to help them improve business and increase patient loyalty and retention.

“We’re very pleased to partner with ESCO and offer our members a trusted insurance solution that they can make available to patients,” said Paul Harkness, Executive VP, AuDConnex. “Their loss, damage, and repair coverage options provide an affordable way for hearing health care practitioners to offer peace-of-mind to patients for the life of their hearing instruments.”

“ESCO is excited to partner with AuDConnex,” said Mike Eckert, Senior Vice-President of Business Development, ESCO. “This relationship brings with it a number of beneficial tools that AuDConnex Members can use to improve their business. Our business solutions, customized marketing resources, and high-quality print services are effective tools to improve your practice. Our comprehensive coverage options give practitioners an attractive insurance option to offer patients and allows them to focus what they do best providing quality care.”

To learn more about AuDConnex’s unbundled approach to hearing aid buying and practice management visit: www.AuDConnex.com. For more information about the programs and plans available through ESCO visit: www.earserv.com.

Source: AuDConnex, ESCO

Image: AuDConnex

Sonova, the Swiss-based parent group of Phonak, Unitron, and Hansaton, confirmed that it has been awarded the contract to supply Costco’s Kirkland Signature 9.0 (KS9) hearing aids, as was speculated in recent social media sites and blogs. It will be the first Sonova-branded hearing aid.

The KS9 is a unique Size 312 receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) product specifically designed for Costco and powered by the company’s made-for-all (MFA) Sonova Wireless One Radio Digital (SWORD), which provides hands-free universal connectivity to any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone (eg, both iPhone and Android). However, a company spokesperson made it clear that the product is distinct in many important ways from the Unitron Discover and Phonak Marvel product line, which share the chip set. For example, it is not rechargeable, does not offer tinnitus features or real-time remote fine-tuning, telecoil options, access to Roger devices, and the physical housing is not from the Phonak brand portfolio as some previously speculated. This means the only markings seen on the product is that of the Kirkland Signature brand, with Sonova listed as manufacturer at end of owner’s manual.

Kirkland Signature is the “flagship” premium brand in Costco’s product portfolio, and often dominates sales within its stores—although fairly strong competition from other hearing aid brands have occurred within their outlets, according to those with knowledge of the mass retailer. Previously, Kirkland Signature hearing aids (models KS7 and KS8) were manufactured by Rexton, which is part of the Sivantos group, since 2016. Phonak caused quite a stir in April 2014 as the first global hearing aid brand to supply hearing aids to Costco. Rexton supplied the early KS4 product line, and GN ReSound took over manufacturing the KS5 and KS6 lines, before Rexton regained the contract.

The Hearing Review has previously estimated that Costco accounts for upwards of 12% of the US hearing aid market. The new KS9 hearing aids will reportedly be priced at $1499.99 for a pair, which is $100 less than the KS8 brand.

Additionally, Phonak says it will be removing Brio 3 RIC products and all ITE products from Costco once KS 9.0 is available. Sonova discontinued its distribution of the Hansaton hearing aid brand in the United States as of June 30.

Also see…

The Costco Effect, by Leslie Lee, Ron Barrett, and J. Connon Samuel

Letters: Costco Replies to Hearing Review article “The Costco Effect”

GN Reports Strong Growth in Q2 2016; Loses Costco Kirkland Contract

Costco Quietly Launches Kirkland 7.0 Premium Hearing Aids–at Even Lower Price Point

[Click on image to enlarge.] Quarterly US net unit hearing aid sales for the private/commercial (blue) and VA (red) markets from 2014-present. Source: HIA.

Private sector hearing aid sales increased by 1.5% in the first quarter and 3.8% in the second quarter, for a total of 2.7% in the first half. Last year, first-half private-sector hearing aid sales increased by 7.24%, or what can be considered a stronger-than-usual growth rate.

Quarterly sales for the VA grew by double-digits (10.1%) in the second quarter for the first time in over 4 years (since Q1 2015), following a 6.7% increase in the first quarter. However, this increase is partially explained by a low basis comparison: last year, VA dispensing activity actually decreased by -0.43% in the first half.

The overall 3.8% unit volume increase for the first half places the market squarely in the middle of what might be considered its more recent historical growth rate of 2-5%. In 2018, hearing aid sales increased by 5.3% (5.95% for the private sector and 2.4% for the VA).

Receiver in the canal (RIC) style hearing aids constituted 82.6% of the private sector market and 77.9% of VA dispensing, for a total of 81.7% of all hearing aids dispensed in the first half of 2019.

As noted in previous Hearing Review market reports, HIA statistics have become more opaque for analysis relative to the private/commercial market, which includes traditional dispensing practices. Big box retailers like Costco and Sam’s Club have certainly impacted these figures, with Costco now making up an estimated 12% of the total hearing aid market. IntriCon—another HIA reporting member which manufactures hearing aids for United Health, owns  Hearing Help Express (HHE), and provides hearing aids to a wide array of direct-to-consumer (DTC) and other firms—has also been growing rapidly and reported about 30% sales gains during both 2017 and 2018. Various companies/agencies’ buying cycles also complicate the picture. All this contributes to making it difficult to understand what might be viewed as “average independent practice” gains, particularly in light of what appear to be continued downward pressure on average sales prices.

AuDStandard, an unbundled hearing aid buying group that is said to provide pricing, practice growth solutions, detailed analytics, and other services to hearing healthcare practitioners, has announced a partnership with Hear Billing Solutions (HBS), a medical billing and insurance assistance company focused on serving the needs of hearing healthcare practices.

The partnership will reportedly give AuDStandard members access to a range of services designed to help hearing practices increase revenue and decrease receivables including insurance billing, credentialing and contracting, on-site insurance training, business readiness, insurance verification, consulting, and more. The services are available to members at a discount or no additional cost based on their AuDStandard point balance.

“The rise of third parties and insurance have greatly increased the need for billing and credentialing assistance. At AudStandard, we are committed to providing our members with the tools and resources needed to grow and succeed,” said Tucker Worster, owner and co-founder of AuDStandard. “This partnership with Hear Billing Solutions provides members access to simple billing solutions that will allow them to focus on what they do best— providing optimal patient care.”

“From insurance verification, to billing claims, to posting payments, HBS is there to support hearing healthcare practices during each step of the billing process,” said Stacey Long, owner and president of Hear Billing Solutions. “We’re very excited about the opportunity to provide AuDStandard member practices with billing services that have been proven to save time and money.”

To learn more about AuDStandard’s unbundled approach to hearing aid buying and practice management, visit: www.audstandard.com. For more information about HBS, visit: www.hearbillingsolutions.com.

Source: AuDStandard

Original Paper: Kobayashi Y, Tsukazaki E, Watanabe T, et al. Associations between self‐reported hearing loss and outdoor activity limitations, psychological distress and self‐reported memory loss among older people: Analysis of the 2016 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions in Japan. Geriatrics & Gerontology International. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.13708.

Source: University of Tsukuba, Geriatrics & Gerontology International

Alpaca Audiology (“Alpaca”) announced that it has merged with Belsono Management Group, LLC (“Belsono”) and its clinic groups Hearing Health USA, LLC (“HHUSA”), and Ideal Practice Management Group, LLC (“IPMG”). Thompson Street Capital Partners (“TSCP”), a private equity group located in St Louis, Missouri funded the transaction. The terms were not disclosed.

Belsono Group was founded by Amir Hadar and Jonathan Weizman and is headquartered in Mountain Lakes, NJ. The merged Alpaca and Belsono organization owns and operates clinic locations in the eastern half of the United States and is reportedly “the largest independent network in the country,” according to the company’s announcement.

“Combining the Belsono Group with Alpaca has created a unique organization capable of acquiring a single clinic or large-scale, multi-site groups,” said Weizman, Belsono Group’s President. “Since we work closely with many different hearing aid manufacturers, our acquired clinics can fit their preferred product, while employing the same strategies which have historically been successful in their respective markets. Through our buying group Alpaca Audiology, we empower independently owned practices to remain competitive in the everchanging industry landscape, while providing owners with an attractive exit strategy when they decide to sell their practice.”

“The partnership with TSCP provides us with the resources to acquire clinics at very competitive valuations, and close quickly when the right opportunity presents itself.  We have found the ultimate partner in Alpaca and are excited about our shared approach to patient-centered hearing healthcare,” said Hadar, Belsono Group’s CEO.  “We are thrilled about what this merger means for our employees and its effect on our ability to provide unsurpassed patient care to the communities we serve.”

Alpaca consists of two business units: a portfolio of audiology clinics and a buying group/negotiating network for privately owned audiology practices, offering a free membership and a broad range of member benefits.

“Belsono brings experienced management capabilities, custom-tailored systems, and a solid infrastructure—attributes which will be invaluable as we work together to create a never-before-seen entity in the audiology sector,” said Brian Vesely, President and founder of Alpaca.

Jim Cooper, Managing Partner at TSCP said, “By owning both, a vast network of clinics and a buying group, Alpaca is now in a unique position to offer independently owned clinics competitive pricing and associated services, which are on par with manufacturer owned-clinics.  The addition of the Belsono Group creates enormous scalability, coupled with deep-rooted industry expertise/know-how. We look forward to supporting the group’s growth on both the buying group and clinic acquisition aspects of the business.”

Source: Alpaca Audiology

Images: Alpaca Audiology, Belsono Management

Two studies reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2019 in Los Angeles found that experiencing multiple sensory impairments, such as vision and hearing problems, are associated with an increased risk of developing dementia in older adults, the AAIC announced on its website.

Emerging science shows that sensory dysfunction can increase the risk of dementia, and the new research presented at AAIC 2019 further demonstrates the impact of multiple co-occurring sensory impairments.

Research from the University of Washington School of Public Health showed that impairment of either vision or hearing increases the risk of developing dementia, and that impairment in both senses further increases those odds. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco studied the combined effects of loss of smell, touch, vision, and hearing; they found that even mild impairments in multiple senses were associated with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline.

“We’re beginning to learn through these new research findings that sensory impairments, even those that are very mild, may also be associated with increased risk of dementia, especially when there are several of them at the same time,” said Maria C. Carrillo, PhD, Alzheimer’s Association chief science officer. “We need more research to confirm these initial findings and to see if correcting the sensory impairments can reduce dementia risk.”

Combined Visual and Hearing Impairment Increases Risk of Dementia in Older Adults

While recent studies have shown that loss of sensory function increases risk of developing dementia, very little is known about the impact of co-occurring sensory impairments. In order to understand the effect of dual sensory impairment on the development of dementia, Phillip Hwang, MPH, a doctoral epidemiology student at the University of Washington, and colleagues examined the association between hearing and vision impairment and risk of Alzheimer’s or other dementia in 2,051 people from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study aged 75 or older who did not have dementia at the time of study enrollment.

Baseline sensory impairment was established through self-reported responses to a set of questions on hearing and vision. Over seven years of follow-up, incident dementia was assessed based on clinical diagnosis using DSM-IV criteria, and Alzheimer’s disease was determined using criteria developed by the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke—Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA; the ADRDA is now known as the Alzheimer’s Association).

The researchers found that the number of sensory impairments was associated with risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (both p≤0.01) in a graded fashion. Having either visual or hearing impairment increased the risk of developing dementia by 11% and Alzheimer’s by 10%. Having both visual and hearing impairment raised the risk of developing dementia by 86% and Alzheimer’s by 112%.

“These findings suggest that co-occurring hearing and vision problems in late life are strongly associated with increased risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s dementia,” said Hwang. “Impairment of more than one sense seems to increase risk of dementia synergistically.”

“Assessment of visual and hearing function may help identify older adults at high risk of developing dementia,” Hwang added.

Even Mild Multisensory Impairment is Associated With Dementia and Cognitive Decline

Willa D. Brenowitz, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, working with Kristine Yaffe, MD, and colleagues conducted a study of impairments in vision, hearing, smell, and touch to investigate the effect of multisensory impairment on dementia risk.

The researchers studied a group of 1,810 older Americans aged 70-79 from the Health, Aging and Body Composition (ABC) Study who did not have dementia at the time of enrollment. They assessed sight, hearing, touch, and smell to create a summary multisensory function score for each participant. Incident dementia over 10 years was assessed using a combination of hospitalization records, anti-dementia medication prescriptions, and cognitive decline as measured by the Modified Mini-Mental State Exam (3MS).

The researchers found that participants with lower sensory function scores—thus, greater levels of impairment—had significantly increased risk of both dementia and cognitive decline (both p<0.001). Risk of dementia was nearly seven times greater for those participants in the lowest scoring quarter of sensory function in the study population compared with those in the highest scoring quarter.

However, even mild impairment in multisensory functioning was strongly associated with these risks. A four-point difference in score (out of 12 points) was associated with a 68% higher risk for dementia (95% CI: 31%, 101%) and an annual decline of 0.24 points on the 3MS (95% CI: 0.36, 0.12 points).

“Our findings suggest that testing for changes in multisensory function may help identify those at high risk for dementia,” Brenowitz said. “Sensory function in multiple domains can be measured during routine healthcare visits using non-invasive or minimally invasive tests. In addition, some forms of hearing and vision loss can be treated or corrected, which provides potential opportunities for intervention. However, we need more research to determine if treatment or prevention of sensory impairments could reduce risk of dementia.”

Results from the two studies reported at AAIC 2019 demonstrate that sensory impairment, particularly across multiple senses, is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. The findings suggest that assessment of sensory function by clinicians and caregivers should play an important role in diagnosis and care of older adults and those at risk of developing these diseases.

Several recent studies have looked at hearing loss, vision loss, and the combination of the two, relative to cognitive decline. For interested readers, Victor Bray’s article, “Depression, Hearing Loss, and Treatment with Hearing Aids” mentions several of these studies.

Original Papers: Hwang P, et al. Dual sensory impairment in older adults and risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Paper presented at:  Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2019; July 14-18, 2019; Los Angeles, CA. https://www.alz.org/aaic.

Brenowitz WD, et al. Multisensory impairment and dementia: worsening function in multiple senses is associated with dementia and cognitive decline. Paper presented at: Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2019; July 14-18, 2019; Los Angeles, CA. https://www.alz.org/aaic.

Source: AAIC

On July 25, 2019, US Representatives Tom Rice (R-SC), Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Mark Meadows (R-NC), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Ann Kuster (D-NH), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-DE) introduced the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019 (HR 4056). This legislation “will enhance the Medicare benefit by providing beneficiaries critical direct access to both diagnostic and therapeutic services of audiologists.”

In a joint statement of support, the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), announced their endorsement of the bill. According to the statement, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) plan to introduce a Senate companion bill imminently.

Hearing Review covered ASHA, AAA, and ADA’s agreement earlier this year to join forces to develop legislation that expands access to and coverage of audiology services under Medicare, as well as the controversy over the Audiology Patient Choice Act introduced by Warren and Paul.

The Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019 (HR 4056) will remove “unnecessary barriers, allowing patients to receive appropriate, timely, and cost-effective audiologic care.” This legislation can improve outcomes for beneficiaries by allowing direct access to audiologic services and streamlining Medicare coverage policies so that audiologists can provide the full range of Medicare-covered diagnostic and treatment services that correspond to their scope of practice, according to the statement. The legislation would also reclassify audiologists as practitioners, which is consistent with the way Medicare recognizes other non-physician providers, such as clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, and advanced practice registered nurses.

In a separate statement, the ADA praised the lawmakers who worked on the introduction of HR 4056.

“Seniors who suffer from hearing conditions shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to see their preferred audiologist,” said Rice. “The ‘Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act’ cuts through the red tape to help Medicare patients access quality, affordable care. I will continue to reach across the aisle to find straightforward solutions to health care problems.”

The Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act can help improve outcomes and reduce barriers to care by allowing Medicare beneficiaries to seek treatment directly from audiologists if they suspect they have a hearing or balance problem, according to the ADA’s statement.

“Hearing and balance disorders become more prevalent with age and, if left untreated, pose significant health, social, and financial risks,” said Ram Nileshwar, AuD, ADA President. “ADA applauds Representative Rice and his colleagues for acting to remove impediments to the delivery of efficient, high-quality hearing and balance health care for millions of Medicare beneficiaries across the country.”

“ADA staff and leaders are proud to work alongside our esteemed colleagues to advocate for better access to care for our patients and to ensure that audiologists are classified within the Medicare system in a manner that reflects their extensive training, education, and scope of practice,” said Nileshwar.

ASHA, in another separate statement, supported the legislation, for its expanded access to coverage. Currently, Medicare requires a physician order for patients to see an audiologist—and covers only diagnostic services provided by the audiologist without allowing for follow-up treatment or a plan of care.

“It is imperative that Congress move this legislation through quickly to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have timely access to audiologists’ diagnostic and therapeutic services for hearing and balance conditions,” ASHA President Shari Robertson, PhD, said. “Untreated hearing loss can adversely affect quality of life and lead to other conditions, such as cognitive decline, depression, anxiety, and social isolation.”

The Spanish Pediatric Picture Identification Test (SPPIT)

Testing the growing population of native Spanish-speaking children seen in audiology clinics can be a challenge to the audiologist without Spanish language skills. The Spanish Pediatric Picture Identification Test (SPPIT) was developed specifically for use with Spanish- speaking children in order to assist audiology clinics without access to bilingual audiologist or interpreters, Auditec announced. Auditec, offers a variety of auditory test materials for audiologists, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, hearing professionals, and other trained medical professionals.

The SPPIT was developed in the Speech Perception Assessment Laboratory directed by Dr Lisa Lucks Mendel at the University of Memphis’ School of Communication Sciences and Disorders in collaboration with St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Latino Memphis.

Development of the SPPIT included the production and validation of new digital recordings of the word lists created by Comstock and Martin (1984). Phase 1 of this study involved producing digital recordings of these stimuli and administering the lists to adults with normal hearing to determine list equivalency. In Phase 2, digitally illustrated pictures that represented the stimuli in the word lists were created and validated using Spanish-speaking children. In Phase 3, list equivalency was re-established, performance-intensity (PI) functions were obtained, and the final word lists were validated using a picture-pointing task with Spanish-speaking children.

Example of a SPPIT Picture Board

The same native Spanish-speaking female produced the SPPIT stimuli. The carrier phrase, “Di la palabra (Say the word),” was recorded and inserted prior to each stimulus item to introduce each target word and help signal the listener.  Performance-intensity functions were obtained in an open-set manner from adults with normal hearing to establish initial equivalency of the 3-word lists. Pictorial representations for each item in the lists were then validated by asking children to verbally identify the target images in Spanish. Those images with the lowest performance were placed in a fourth list as distractors. In the final list validation, ten Spanish-speaking adults responded to the lists verbally and 35 Spanish-speaking children, aged 4 to 17, were tested using the picture-pointing task. Performance intensity functions at sensation levels from 0 dB to 40 dB in 8 dB steps were obtained establishing list equivalency for Lists 1 and 2 with List 3 have significantly higher scores.

The SPPIT picture boards are said to provide ease and accuracy of scoring for the monolingual English clinician. Instead of judging the accuracy of an oral response, the audiologist can simply judge if the appropriate word/picture was identified. In addition, the picture-pointing task is also useful for nonverbal or shy children. The test can even be used for Spanish-speaking adults with limited or no English proficiency. The test includes color picture boards and a digitally recorded CD containing the validated word lists. CDs with an optional English translation channel are also available through Auditec, Inc.

A separate recording of these stimulus items is currently being validated using a male talker with a European Spanish dialect in order to provide audiologists with additional dialectical options for their Spanish patients. Future studies will include validation of the SPPIT using 4-talker Spanish babble (Auditec, Inc, 2007).

Recommended Reading

Spanish Four Talker Noise. Auditec, Inc. https://auditec.com/2015/09/02/spanish-four-talker-noise/. Published September 2, 2015.

Comstock CL, Martin FN. A children’s Spanish word discrimination test for non-Spanish-speaking clinicians. Ear and Hearing. 1984;5 (3):166-170.

Mendel LL, Pousson M, Bass JK, Lunsford RE, McNiece C. Spanish Pediatric Speech Recognition Test. American Journal of Audiology. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_AJA-18-0132.

Mendel LL, King MP, Bass JK, et al. Two Spanish pediatric speech recognition tests: The SPSRT and the SPPIT. Poster presented at: AAA 2018; April 18-21, 2018; Nashville, TN.

Mendel LL, Coffelt JA, Pousson M, Lane K, Carter M. Introducing the SPPIT: Spanish pediatric picture identification test. Poster presented at: AudiologyNOW!; April 5-8, 2017; Indianapolis, IN.

Mendel LL, Lane K, Carter M, Coffelt JA, Pousson M. Development of a Spanish word recognition test for Spanish-speaking children. Poster presented at: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention; November 17-19, 2016; Philadelphia, PA.

Mendel LL, Elkins R, McNiece C, Lane K, Carter M, Taylor J. The development of speech recognition tests for Spanish-speaking children. Poster presented at: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention; November 14-16, 2013; Chicago, IL.

The Spanish Pediatric Speech Recognition Threshold (SPSRT) Test

The Spanish Pediatric Speech Recognition Threshold (SPSRT) Test was developed specifically for use with Spanish-speaking children in order to assist audiology clinics without access to bilingual audiologist or interpreters.

The SPSRT was also developed in the Speech Perception Assessment Laboratory directed by Dr Mendel at the University of Memphis’ School of Communication Sciences and Disorders in collaboration with St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Latino Memphis.

Several steps were followed in the development of the SPSRT including stimulus selection, degree of familiarity, pictorial recognition, and audio recording. With regard to stimulus selection, several considerations were made for the SPSRT picture board. Because the Spanish language has very few spondaic words, bisyllabic and trochaic words were used instead. Trochaic stress is the most frequently used stress pattern in Spanish, which consists of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. (Gaeta & John, 2015; Martin & Hart, 1978). Another consideration was the need for each stimulus item to be presented pictorially and be easily recognized by children. In addition, the type of pictorial representation had to be determined as to whether the pictures would be actual photographs or illustrated pictures. Further, to avoid providing extra cues to the listener by using gender-identifying articles such as ‘el’ or ‘la,’ the stimuli selected could not be gender specific.

One hundred words matching the above criteria were chosen from A Frequency Dictionary of Spanish: Core Vocabulary for Learners (Davies, 2006). Familiarity ratings for the stimulus selections were obtained from Spanish-speaking adults followed by familiarity selections with pictorial representation obtained from Spanish-speaking children aged 3 to 11. This provided the final picture board, which consists of a 4-row x 3-column, 12-item grid.

SPSRT Picture Board

The final step was to produce digital recordings of the final stimulus list using a native Spanish-speaking female from Central America and then validate these recordings using the previously selected pictorial representations on a picture board. Twenty-four Spanish-speaking children with normal hearing were tested to obtain validation results for the final digital recordings.

PTA and SPSRT were highly correlated (r = 0.75) even though the PTAs ranged from -3 to 31 dB and SPSRTs ranged from -0 to 20 dB. The average PTA was 12 dB, the average SPSRT was 2 dB, and the mean difference between PTA and SRT was 10 dB across all subjects. It is anticipated that audiologists can expect to have PTA/SRT agreement with this test within 2 to 12 dB based on the consistency of the results obtained here and their agreement with existing literature for other SRT tests.

The SPSRT picture board is said to provide ease and accuracy of scoring for the monolingual English clinician. Instead of judging the accuracy of an oral response, the audiologist can simply judge if the appropriate word/picture was identified. In addition, the picture-pointing task is also useful for nonverbal or shy children. This test can even be used for Spanish speaking adults with limited or no English proficiency. The test includes a color picture board and a digitally recorded CD containing the validated word lists. CDs with an optional English translation channel are also available through Auditec Inc.

A separate recording of these stimulus items is currently being validated using a male talker with a European Spanish dialect in order to provide audiologists with additional dialectical options for their Spanish patients.

Recommended Reading

Davies M, ed. A Frequency Dictionary of Spanish: Core Vocabulary for Learners. Abingdon, UK: Routledge Press;2006.

Gaeta L, John AB. Considerations in speech recognition testing of bilingual and Spanish-speaking patients, Part II: Young children. Journal of Educational, Pediatric, and (Re) Habilitative Audiology. 2015;1:1-11.

Martin FN, Hart DB. Measurement of speech thresholds of Spanish-speaking children by non-Spanish speaking audiologists. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders. 1978;43(2):255–262.

Mendel LL, Pousson M, Bass JK, Lunsford RE, McNiece C. Spanish Pediatric Speech Recognition Test. American Journal of Audiology. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_AJA-18-0132.

Mendel LL, King MP, Bass JK, et al. Two Spanish pediatric speech recognition tests: The SPSRT and the SPPIT. Poster presented at: AAA 2018; April 18-21, 2018; Nashville, TN.

Mendel LL, Coffelt JA, Pousson M, Lane K, Carter M. Introducing the SPPIT: Spanish pediatric picture identification test. Poster presented at: AudiologyNOW!; April 5-8, 2017; Indianapolis, IN.

Mendel LL, Lane K, Carter M, Coffelt JA, Pousson M. Development of a Spanish word recognition test for Spanish-speaking children. Poster presented at: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention; November 17-19, 2016; Philadelphia, PA.

Mendel LL, Elkins R, McNiece C, Lane K, Carter M, Taylor J. The development of speech recognition tests for Spanish-speaking children. Poster presented at: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention; November 14-16, 2013; Chicago, IL.

Source: Auditec, Inc

Images: Auditec, Inc

Opinion | Karl’s Blog

By Karl Strom, editor

Editors and readers love rankings, but for different reasons. Editors like rankings lists because they draw readers by the scores and can elicit strong emotions; readers like them because they’re simple reference points and also great opportunities to prove why they’re smarter than the list-makers. Case in point: last weekend, my wife showed me a list of the 100 great novels every bibliophile should read, and—largely because I hadn’t read half of them, and a good deal of my favorites were omitted—I immediately condemned it as an uninformed list by a bunch of no-brain ninny scholars and editors… So, take the following with a grain of salt.

On July 12, the US News & World Report MONEY website ranked Audiology as the 29^th best health care job—dead last on this particular list of 29 healthcare professions. It listed the audiologists’ median salaries as $75,920, with a 8.3% unemployment rate, and an alarmingly low 1,300 projected job openings from 2016 to 2026. The upper quartile of audiologists made $93,590 while the lowest quartile made $62,370. The job items of “flexibility,” “stress level,” and “upward mobility” were all ranked as “average” compared to other health care jobs.

Some career ranking sites placed “Audiologist” near the top of their lists only a few years ago. For example, CareerCast.com ranked Audiology as its 2^nd best job in 2015 and as its 8^th least stressful job in 2016—albeit with the latter eliciting howls of protest from some members of the audiology profession. What happened?

The current report says, “The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 20.7 percent employment growth for audiologists between 2016 and 2026. In that period, an estimated 3,100 jobs should open up.” On its website, the Bureau says there were 14,800 audiologists employed in 2016 with a job outlook of 21% (much faster than average) from 2016-26. The total employment change is listed as 3,100.

What the employment statistics seemingly miss are the incredible number of hearing care offices, networks, and hearing aid manufacturers currently looking for skilled professionals, and possibly the alarming number of professionals exiting the field. Ian Windmill, PhD, and Barry Freeman, PhD, published a paper in 2013 showing that “the number of persons entering the field will have to increase by 50% beginning immediately” to fulfill the future demand of hearing-impaired consumers. Dr Freeman, in a landmark article published in the Nov/Dec 2009 edition of Audiology Today, estimated a total of 16,095 licensed audiologists and 9,050 licensed hearing aid specialists. My personal opinion is we could probably use 3,100 audiologists and hearing aid specialists in the work force right now. One might even argue that the shortage of professionals is an existential threat to our field. Regarding salaries, ASHA recently published a survey showing that the annual median salary of an audiologist in 2018 was $80,000 to $83,843, depending on if they were employed in a clinical services or academic setting.

The top-five jobs in US News & World Report’s list were Physician Assistant ($104,860 salary with 39,600 projected jobs), Dentist ($165,120, 25,700 jobs), Nurse Anesthetist ($165,120, 6,800 jobs), Orthodontist ($208,000, 1,300 jobs), and Nurse Practitioner ($103,880, 56,100 jobs).

Among professions often compared with Audiology, the profession of Speech-language Pathologist came in 11 spots above audiologist at #18 with a median salary of $76,610 and 25,900 projected jobs, while Optometrist ($110,300, 7,200 jobs) came in at #20, and Chiropractor came in at #24 ($68,640, 5,900 jobs).

As a side-note, only a day before the publication of the above rankings, the website CollegeTuitionCompare ranked its top-10 comparison of audiology academic programs as follows:

1. Vanderbilt University
2. University of Iowa (Iowa City)
3. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
4. The University of Texas-Dallas
5. University of Washington-Seattle
6. Washington University-St Louis
7. University of Florida (Gainesville)
8. Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill)
9. University of Pittsburgh
10. University of Kansas (Lawrence)

The website stated: “Vanderbilt University ranked first in the Best Audiology Colleges and University of Iowa and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are following it in the ranking. The average undergraduate tuition & fees of Best Audiology Colleges is $11,301 for state residents and $38,572 for out of state students in academic year 2018-2019. For graduate programs, the 2019 average tuition & fees of the schools are $14,437 for state residents and $31,622 for out of state students. The average acceptance rate is 44.70% and the average graduation rate is 83% at the Best Audiology Colleges.” For the full list of audiology colleges, visit: https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/best-schools/Audiology/

I will leave out a detailed discussion of the cost of an audiology education versus ROI/salary. On this subject, I admit that Audiology would/should rank lower on any such list of professions. This is a problem several in our field have brought up, and it still requires greater professional attention. According to the ASHA survey (p 8), the median student debt for audiologists who were clinical service providers age 30 or younger was $100,000. Particularly, when you compare the ROI (ie, average earnings divided by educational costs) between those doctoral professions which are largely classified as “LLP” versus masters degree professions which are largely classified as “allied health” professions, Audiology does not fare well. In fact, it has been argued that Audiology has a doctoral degree (AuD) cost on par with Optometry, with earnings more on par with the masters degree level (MS/MA) allied health fields.

However, even given this—as well as the looming uncertainties surrounding OTC/DTC hearing aid regulations, blended distribution models, app-based and telehealth solutions, etc—it remains my opinion the US News & World Report MONEY website (and the US Bureau of Labor statistics) is vastly underestimating the number of highly qualified hearing care professionals needed in today’s labor market, as well as for the future—whatever it may hold.

Karl Strom is editor of The Hearing Review and has been reporting on hearing healthcare issues for over 25 years.

Natus Medical Incorporated (NASDAQ:NTUS) (the “Company” or “Natus”), a provider of medical device solutions focused on the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous and sensory system disorders for patients of all ages, announced that Starkey Hearing Technologies is now equipped to receive images from Otoscan, a digital ear scanning solution, as input to manufacture customized hearing aid solutions.

“Today marks another important milestone for our customers and all of us at Natus,” said Austin Noll, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Natus. “The Otoscan community of supporting manufacturers is further expanded with the addition of Starkey Hearing Technologies, which represents an essential achievement for the future success of the product. Our ambition all along is to have members join the Otocloud community to bring a complete offering to hearing care professionals.”

According to Natus, the program will be rolled out gradually in close collaboration between local parties in markets where Otoscan is already commercially available.

“We’re excited about joining the Otoscan community. Their technology supports Starkey’s strategic ambitions for a digitized workflow and an optimized infrastructure that will allow us to serve our customers even better in the future,” said Chris Hillman, Chief Operations Officer at Starkey Hearing Technologies.

Developed by hearing care professionals for hearing care professionals

Otoscan is said to be designed specifically for the needs of audiologists and hearing aid dispensers selling and fitting custom hearing aids.

Otoscan helps enable hearing care professionals to make digital impressions for custom in-the-ear pieces such as earmolds and hearing aids. The scanner solution reportedly applies technology to transform images of the ear into 3D digital files that are then uploaded to Otocloud for use in production of custom products.

Otoscan is now commercially available in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, and Canada.

For more information about Otoscan, please visit: https://otometrics.natus.com/products-services/otoscan.

Source: Natus Medical Inc

Lantos Technologies, creators of an FDA-cleared 3D ear scanning system, announced the release of LantosView 5.0. This software update is said to enhances the Lantos 3D Scanning System, making it “faster and easier” to use to map the anatomy of the ear for the production of personalized hearing enhancement and protection solutions. 

“LantosView 5.0 increases the field of view of the optics in the Lantos 3D Scanning System by more than 2.5 times. This allows the user to see and capture more of the ear at once, with less manual movement of the scanner,” said Lydia Gregoret, PhD, AuD, director of translational research for Lantos Technologies. “This update significantly increases the efficiency of the scan capture process, streamlining the path to a complete, high-quality scan of the ear, from the concha down to within four millimeters of the eardrum.” 

LantosView 5.0 helps makes it easier to capture accurate 3D scans of the ear’s anatomy, helping to further accelerate the process for creating custom-fit hearing products such as hearing aids, earplugs, earbuds, and more. According to the company’s announcement, clinical testing showed that expert scan users had statistically significant improvements in scan quality. By increasing the rate of data capture, LantosView 5.0 can help reduce average scanning time by approximately 30 seconds, from 90 seconds down to 60 seconds per ear. 

“At Lantos, we know that personalized hearing care is best delivered through custom-fit products,” noted John Bojanowski, CEO, Lantos Technologies. “We also know that our mission to make 3D ear scanning the standard for custom-fit solutions depends on an exceptional user experience with our product. The updates in this release make our ear scanning system even faster and more accurate, simplifying both training and day-to-day ease of use. It’s exciting to see the Lantos team continuing to extend our lead in the 3D ear scanning space, adding new product features and capabilities that enhance usability and bring additional value to the Lantos 3D Scanning System.” 

LantosView 5.0 is available now and is included with all new purchases of the Lantos 3D Scanning System. For more, read the release notes at: info.lantostechnologies.com/blog/lantosview5-0. 

Source: Lantos Technologies

Image: Lantos Technologies

IntriCon Inc, Arden Hills, Minn, a major supplier of economy/DTC hearing aids, PSAPs, and medical device components, reported in an investors’ conference call that it has experienced some headwinds due to a restructuring of its primary “indirect-to-consumer” customer (eg, United Healthcare’s hi HealthInnovations) hearing aid sales, direct-to-consumer sales (via its Hearing Health Express division), and the expected attrition from “legacy” hearing aid manufacturers (ie, companies outside the Big-5 global OEMs). However, the company continued to grow its medical biotelemetry division by 3.4% (Q2 YoY) which makes up 71% of its sales—with its largest customer being Minneapolis-based MedTronics—that mostly counterbalanced the 13.6% sales decrease in its hearing health business, according to IntriCon CEO Mark Gorder.

The company has also recently invested in increasing its manufacturing capacity, which contributed to what it believes are the temporary declines in margin. Second-quarter 2019 gross margins are 28%, down from 33% during the same period last year. IntriCon reported sales of reported sales of $116.5 million in 2018, up 28.5% from $90.6 million in 2017.

The company is bullish on the prospects of the upcoming Over-the-Counter (OTC) hearing device regulations from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which it anticipates being issued in November. In his comments, Gorder was optimistic that the regulations would be more lenient relative to the amount of allowed hearing aid gain and for whom the devices might be intended.

Mark Gorder

“So what the legislation allows is for the consumer to decide what is mild to moderate,” said Gordon in the conference call. “That’s good for us because…that allows for more higher power hearing aids to be sold into the OTC market which increases the addressable market that we can obtain with the OTC category. And our feeling is that the FDA is going to be relatively liberal on that regard. There was already some published [product data]—they already approved an FDA De Novo application [from Bose] composed for a self-fitting device that [has] a power level of about 120 dB SPL, which is pretty good from our perspective. So, the fact that that’s already been approved indicates to us that the legislation is going to be pretty favorable going forward relative to specifications that would allow a relatively large addressable market.”

Gorder is optimistic that the OTC regulations will be proposed by this November, with a 6-month public comment period—meaning that the new rules will be in place sometime in mid-2020.

As part of its OTC/DTC efforts, the company is also working on its Sentibo/signison software, which is being jointly developed by IntriCon and Soundperience acoustic lab in Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany. Sentibo is being designed as a platform that can be used by Hearing Help Express and other IntriCon customers for online hearing aid self-fitting. Gorder said the company will be conducting a clinical trial and submitting a 510k clearance application to the FDA for approval, with hopes of Sentibo being commercially available sometime around mid-year 2020, roughly coinciding with the anticipated issuance of new OTC device regulations. Gorder also said Hearing Health Express has been curtailing some of its advertising activities and looking for ways to increase its efficiencies.

In their “indirect to consumer” business, which is currently dominated by hi HealthInnovations, the company continues to seek out new potential partners like Bose, Best Buy, and other potential large future players in the hearing healthcare field.

“One of the things we’re seeing as the [OTC] legislation is becoming nearer and nearer is more and more parties are interested in this space, and they’re coming from numerous different channels and we’re working for our partners that have the type of technology in terms of hearing aids, self-fitting software, the customer support fulfillment that IntriCon has,” said IntriCon COO/CFO Scott Longvall in the conference call. “So, as we get closer to legislation, there could be more and more people that are interested, and it’s going to be our job to make sure that we position ourselves as the best-case supplier for these partners—and choose the ones that have business models we think can be [successful in the] longer term.”

Revenue from “legacy” hearing aid OEM revenue was $2.5 million, a decrease of 16.6% over the same period last year.

The company’s 2019 revenue is expected to range from $115 million to $117.5 million, with gross margin increases ranging between 27% and 28.5%. The reduced guidance primarily reflects the lower than anticipated order volume related to Medtronic’s ongoing global commercial launch and order delays associated with restructuring activities within large insurance customers in the hearing health business, said Gorder.

Award-winning actress and musician Idina Menzel and Caruso Founder and Chief Executive Officer Rick J. Caruso hosted a press conference on August 12 in support of “Let California Kids Hear,” a statewide advocacy campaign urging the passage of Assembly Bill 598, a piece of legislation that would ensure all children have access to hearing aids. Let California Kids Hear announced the event, which took place at The Grove in Los Angeles, Calif.

Rick J. Caruso and Idina Menzel

Menzel spoke on the importance of this legislation, sharing how the issue of having a family member who is hard of hearing has personally affected her and how integral hearing is for early child development. Caruso shared how he has seen firsthand the tremendous impact that early intervention has had through his 19-year-old daughter Gianna, who was fitted with her first hearing aids at 6 months old. His support of AB 598 stems from his belief that every child be offered the same opportunity and access to hearing care.

AB 598, authored by Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), would require private health insurance companies to cover the costs of hearing aids for children. AB 598 recently passed the Senate Health Committee and now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee and then to the full Senate for vote.

 Source: Let California Kids Hear

Image: Let California Kids Hear

A new paper published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health and co-authored by a University of Warwick researcher provides standardized scores for The Parent Report of Children’s Abilities Revised (PARCA-R) questionnaire, the UK-based public university announced on its website.  The PARCA-R is recommended for routine use in the UK to screen for cognitive and language developmental delay in children born preterm and can be completed by parents in 10 to 15 minutes. A new website has also been launched (www.parca-r.info) with an online version of the questionnaire and a pre-programmed calculator for deriving the standardized scores.

Researchers at the University of Warwick collaborated with colleagues at Leicester, Oxford, Birmingham, and University College London to standardize the PARCA-R as part of research funded by Action Medical Research. Anonymized data from over 6,000 PARCA-R questionnaires completed by parents of two-year old children in three previous studies were used as a standardization sample. This sample was representative of the UK population in terms of sex, gestational age, multiple birth, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Anonymized data from three further studies were used to assess external validity of the standardized scores.

Standardization of the PARCA-R will enable it to be used to quantify a child’s developmental level relative to the UK population of two-year-olds, and identify advanced or delayed development. It is freely available for parents to use and has been translated into 14 languages, but standardized scores have, so far, only been developed for the original English version in the UK population. Developmental assessment can be costly to administer and the PARCA-R provides a reliable, cost-effective alternative that could eventually be extended for use in low- and middle-income countries.

Professor Dieter Wolke

Professor Dieter Wolke from the University of Warwick Department of Psychology, said, “Over the last 15 years my colleagues and I adapted a research tool and tested its suitability for easy screening of cognitive and language developmental delay of two-year-olds in the community. We now publish the norms—how well a particular child does in relation to all children in the UK on cognition or language at a particular age—for the PARCA-R and make it freely available to clinicians and parents.”

Original Paper: Johnson S, Bountziouka V, Brocklehurst P, et al. Standardisation of the Parent Report of Children’s Abilities–Revised (PARCA-R): A norm-referenced assessment of cognitive and language development at age 2 years. The Lancet & Child Adolescent Health. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(19)30189-0

Source: University of Warwick, The Lancet & Child Adolescent Health

Image: University of Warwick

Solera, a network of digital and community health partners, announced the addition of the “industry’s first Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) offered in American Sign Language (ASL)” to its comprehensive roster of community and digital network providers. Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE), located within the Kansas City metropolitan region, is offering the DPP lifestyle change program in ASL to bridge the language gap that can traditionally hamper efforts to provide health-related services to the hearing-impaired community.

Solera, launched in 2015, develops and manages a network of digital and community health and lifestyle program providers. The company’s technology platform uses proprietary algorithms to match individuals to the Solera network provider that best aligns with their unique health goals, needs, and preferences.

Offering a DPP in ASL is especially important given the high prevalence of hearing-impaired individuals who are susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes. In Johnson County, approximately 40,000 residents are deaf, which is reportedly “one of the nation’s largest populations per capita.” Hearing-impaired residents have higher obesity rates and worse cardiovascular health outcomes than those without hearing limitations.

“As the local health department, it’s our mission to prevent disease and promote wellness for all who live, work, and play in Johnson County,” said Mary Beverly, interim director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment. “Our early results with DPP show that it works with 48% of participants reaching their weight loss goals! We are thrilled to expand our offering to deaf residents through this partnership with Solera to better meet their health education needs.”

Solera is said to have established a “unique position within the healthcare industry” through its marketplace, matching, and payment innovation model that allows health plans and employers to leverage a broad network of providers paid through medical claims for achieving positive clinical outcomes. Extending DPP resources to meet the distinct requirements of the hearing impaired is very much aligned with the company’s consumer-first focus.

“We are thrilled to welcome Johnson County Department of Health and Environment to our expanding network of diverse program providers, and  look forward to connecting the hearing-impaired community with a Diabetes Prevention Program that is tailored to their specific needs,” said Brenda Schmidt, CEO of Solera. “Empowering consumers with program choices and accessibility to help them improve their health is the foundation of our marketplace model. This curriculum is uniquely designed to help put the deaf and hearing impaired on an appropriate path to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.”

Source: Solera

Redux announced the launch of a drying technology to treat hearing instruments impacted by moisture. Available to audiology and hearing care professionals nationwide, this new solution is described by the company as “a life-enhancing device proven to restore hearing instruments to their peak operational state in about 14 minutes with the push of a button.”

Moisture is a leading cause of hearing instrument malfunction among the millions of Americans currently relying on hearing aids to fully connect with the world around them. Redux responded to this need by developing a drying process that’s said to create a vacuum to lower the evaporation point of water, removing all liquid from within both traditionally powered and rechargeable hearing aids. This patented approach is said to allow for complete moisture removal at a controlled, safe temperature, according to Redux.

Redux co-founder, Reuben Zielinski, recognized an opportunity to apply the improved drying technology within the audiology market based on his previous work with a major hearing aid manufacturer.  As a result, Redux is now partnering with audiologists to implement a similar membership program that provides patients with regular access to the technology at their local hearing care provider.

“We’re excited to partner with a growing network of hearing care professionals to bring additional value to their patients and their practice,” said Zielinski. “While hearing instruments are evolving, we believe instrument care should too. Redux has developed an audiology solution based on the proven Redux platform dryer. This drying system can detect minuscule amounts of water and report the level removed to the patient and hearing professional. The level of accuracy found with Redux isn’t something you’ll find with any other dryer on the market.”

The company reports that, during a recent audiology trial, moisture was detected and removed from 76% of all hearing instruments dried by Redux. With as little as 0.5 microliters in a receiver, Redux has reportedly seen a 30-dB attenuation in hearing instruments’ speaker output. Additionally, the trial showed improved functionality in 65% of aids reported as having weakness prior to drying, according to Redux.

“The first time we tested the Redux drying solution, my patient had previously repaired his hearing aid more than four times in three years,” said Samantha Sikorski, HIS ACA, hearing instrument specialist at Sikorski Hearing Aid Center, Inc. “The issue wasn’t necessarily with the brand or model of the hearing aid, but that he was subject to frequent perspiration, and no hearing aid can function properly in that environment. Once he decided to try the Redux drying method, he was able to wear his hearing aids every day, without fail.”

Redux is showcasing the dryer at this year’s 68th Annual International Hearing Society Convention & Expo in Nashville, Tenn on September 19-21. The company was selected by expo organizers to present at the event’s Innovation Station. Convention attendees are encouraged to visit Redux at Booth #222 to learn more about its innovative drying technology for hearing instruments.

For more information on Redux and its drying technology, visit: www.redux.com or email: hearing@nullredux.com.

Source: Redux

Image: Redux

Dr Gyl’s Guide to a Successful Hearing Care Practice is a must-have resource for private-practice owners in hearing healthcare.

Author Gyl Kasewurm, AuD, known in the audiology field as “Dr Gyl,” has owned and operated a practice for 35 years, generating 10 times the annual revenue of a typical practice, despite being in a town of only 12,000 people, according to an announcement from Plural Publishing, the book’s publisher. Readers will benefit from her unique expertise and insight whether they are just starting a new practice or current practice owners looking to implement new strategies to take their business to the next level.

While most private practice owners spend their time working in their businesses, Dr Gyl highlights the importance of working on their businesses. The book is full of “simple and hands-on tips for a more productive and profitable business.” The book covers starting a practice, monitoring the health of the business, innovative marketing strategies, patient retention efforts, financials, Dr Gyl’s personal “Tips for Success,” and more!

Book Details

Title: Dr Gyl’s Guide to a Successful Hearing Care Practice

ISBN: 978-1-63550-207-7 | https://www.pluralpublishing.com/publications/dr-gyls-guide-to-a-successful-hearing-care-practice

About The Author

Gyl Kasewurm, AuD has owned and operated Professional Hearing Services (PHS) in Saint Joseph, Mich for over 30 years. Kasewurm’s single office practice generates 10 times the annual revenue of an average practice. She earned her Doctorate in Audiology from Central Michigan University. Dr Kasewurm has earned many awards and honors including a Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) but is most proud of the Leadership Award that was bestowed upon her by her local Chamber of Commerce. She was recently honored by Western Michigan University as a Distinguished Alumnus, an honor awarded to only 99 of the more than 17,000 graduates of the College of Health and Human Services. Dr Kasewurm is a well-known author and sought after speaker and prides herself on her advice on taking a practice from Fine to Fabulous!

Source: Plural Publishing

Image: Plural Publishing

By William Campbell

Phonak ABCs of eAudiology #10: 10 Steps to Record Keeping & Data Protection for eAudiology

The Phonak ABCs of eAudiology is a handbook of step-by-step guides for incorporating eAudiology and Phonak eSolutions into daily hearing care practice.  Each guide has been written by a renowned international expert in this field. A comprehensive range of considerations have been broken down into easy-to-follow steps towards practice implementation. Following the 10 steps in this series of implementation guides could see hearing care professionals up and running with eAudiology services in your practice very soon, benefiting from improved workflows and cost savings, providing your clients quality care in a way which is most convenient to them.

Patient data security and privacy is an issue facing clinicians when adopting eAudiology into their practice. It is important that both staff and clients have a full understanding of any potential risks involved in transmitting personal health information, as well as their rights under privacy legislation. Clinicians must ensure appropriate security when maintaining client records and other health information.

Where to start?

Step 1
Familiarize yourself with the relevant privacy legislation in your region. Most areas will have federal as well as state or provincial regulations in place. Professional governing bodies may also have guidelines that affect the way you interact with clients and store data. Be sure you have a full understanding of your obligations and responsibilities as well as the responsibilities of other related staff in terms of safeguarding health information.

Step 2
Your clinic or agency may have policy related to record keeping and data security. It’s important to both familiarize yourself with such policy, as well as to educate any staff involved in policy development as it relates to eAudiology. In adopting eAudiology, you may find that your clinic’s policies may require revisions to suit this practice.

Step 3
Review your eAudiology plan. Make sure that your systems and procedures are in keeping with the relevant legislation and policies. In particular, the security of your videoconferencing solution (if used) as well as data sharing or access software. Be sure that these platforms meet privacy requirements. Pay attention to the manner in which client information is stored and what information might not be secure during an online interaction.

Step 4
Develop a workable consent procedure that meets privacy legislation and protects you, your staff, and your client during online interactions. If in doubt, seek legal advice. Either within your clinic/agency, or from outside help. Clients need to understand exactly what is being transmitted during an eAudiology session, as well as the manner in which their data is stored.

Step 5
Be sure that your client data management system that is used in eAudiology is secure. If using a Noah platform, consider entering only patient names into the Noah database. Or encoding patients with a number that is entered into the software. Use of a patient code or number when eAudiology sessions use a computer that is at the client site (spoke site) is the best way to ensure that client data and records are anonymous, even if the equipment is accessed inappropriately.

Step 6
eAudiology systems built into hearing aid manufacturer software or modules can be considered to be secure in most instances. However, it is important to review this with the manufacturer. Perform test sessions to ensure that no client data is visible during the online interaction.

Step 7
Be sure that offline data and client records are secure and meet privacy legislation and guidelines. Record keeping in eAudiology is essentially similar to face-to-face encounters and professional governing bodies as associations generally have guidelines to cover record keeping and data security. However, it is important to review your clinic’s practices to ensure that you meet current requirements and that security gaps do not occur when adopting eAudiology.

Step 8
Educate support staff in your eAudiology program, ensuring that everyone involved understands the clinic policy. Practice test interactions with clients so that all staff will be comfortable in scheduling and supporting eAudiology interactions.

Step 9
Practice! Perform test sessions so that clinicians understand what is happening from the client’s perspective. Be sure that the client does not have inadvertent access to health data, either their own or others. The clinician should be in complete control over the information that can be viewed or accessed during a session. Clinicians need to be aware of this and act in a manner that does not allow viewing of “background” session information.

Step 10
eAudiology is all about providing better services to clients. When your eAudiology policy and procedures are in order, both you and your clients will enjoy efficient interactions with minimal risk of inappropriate access to personal health information. Ensure that the client has a full understanding of the steps you have taken to ensure data security.

To download a PDF of the article, please click here: 10 Steps to Record Keeping & Data Protection for eAudiology

Are you up to the challenge?

Do you understand the data security and record keeping legislation and regulations impacting your practice? Review these and see if there are any gaps in your current systems.

Other Articles in the Phonak ABCs of eAudiology series below:

About the Author: With 20 years as a clinician, Bill Campbell has a wealth of knowledge and experience with adult and pediatric service delivery. Bill’s interest in eAudiology began in 2006 in trying to provide access to infant diagnostic services in remote Canadian communities. Since then, Bill has been involved in developing a remote assessment protocol for the Ontario Infant Hearing Program, as well as working with colleagues internationally to develop eAudiology solutions.