The demand to provide hearing healthcare services remotely has reached new levels this past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote hearing healthcare is not new—it has been discussed in audiology research circles for more than 20 years, been piloted and launched by Government Services and used by clinicians serving remote geographic locations.
TeleHealth, as defined by the World Health Organization, is “the use of electronic means to deliver information, resources and services related to health”. TeleHealth covers many domains, including electronic health records, mobile health, and health analytics. TeleHealth (also called eHealth) has the potential to provide more services to a wider population in a personalized manner. Prior to 2020, it was primarily intended to supplement in-person appointments, but has taken on a new meaning due to the recent pandemic and need for social distancing.
Reducing the burden on clinics by providing support for patient-related services and offering remote assistance to patients is a priority for us at Oticon Medical, which is why we have either created or further expanded several online support services for our hearing healthcare professionals over the last year. We detail a short summary of these services in this first blog of the New Year.
The Ponto Care™ App was expanded specifically to address the need for social distancing. It now provides your patients with an Aftercare section allowing them to access relevant information about everyday life with the Ponto, including user guides, instructional videos and a diary. More importantly, the Aftercare section allows recipients to monitor their implant site to ensure proper care is taken should an issue with the healing process occur. The app provides recipients with the ability to photograph their implant site documenting any changes that may occur over time. These photos can be shared or discussed with their healthcare provider should an issue occur during their recovery process, thus empowering patients for simple, easy device care.
Replacement Processor Support is an essential service for you and your patients. Should your patient need a replacement sound processor, we will extract their current program from their non-functioning processor, load the program(s) onto their new sound processor and ship directly to the patient. This removes you from the process so that you can focus your time on clinically billable services.
Oticon Medical Online Support Pages
Patients often have many questions regarding the insurance reimbursement process during their journey to getting a Ponto System or when upgrading their current sound processor. In order to reduce the amount of time you spend counseling on topics related to insurance reimbursement we have expanded our online services to provide additional support for your patients. Our Insurance Support Team has posted online information that includes the list of in-network insurance providers, frequently asked questions, intake forms and direct contact information on how to reach a member of our team.
Additional online programs to assist your patients can be found on our website under Support. This section of our website offers instructional product videos, online warranty registration and product use guides.
Ongoing guidance and support from other recipients who have been on the BAHS journey to better hearing play a key role in assisting patients who are new to this technology. We encourage you to direct your patients to our Oticon Medical Friends program
for a deeper connection that only another bone anchored recipient can impart, thus easing the amount of time you spend on counseling.
Finally, to provide a place for you to build your expertise about Oticon Medical’s products, we have partnered with Audiology Online to extend opportunities for you to attend live webinars or watch recorded webinars from the comfort of your home or office. These sessions are typically 60 minutes in length and offer continuing education credits. Topics include clinical evidence, product updates, product fittings and advanced clinical management of bone anchored recipients.
We Value Your Feedback
We are committed to continually evaluating the services we provide and developing innovative remote care solutions that present value to those customers who fit and receive our products. Should you have suggestions or ideas on how we can improve our remote service programs please let us know!
We wish you all the best for 2021! Your dedication and skill make a difference every day to those affected by hearing loss.