Category Archives: Audiology

Congratulations to the 2023 OSSEO Student Investigator Scholarship Winners

Leave a reply

We are delighted to announce that three of our investigator-initiated research collaborators have been awarded the prestigious Student Investigator and Early Career Scholarships sponsored by the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

These scholarships are awarded annually to the top-scoring abstract submissions made by medical, doctoral, residents, and post-doctoral students and those early in their careers (up to five years post-education). This year’s scholarships include free registration to the 8th International Congress on Bone Conduction Hearing and Related Technologies (most commonly referred to as OSSEO) and special program recognitions.

Please join us in congratulating our winning collaborators for 2023!

Student Investigator Scholarship

This scholarship was awarded to the ten best-scoring student abstract submitters. Nicole Jiam, MD of Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School was one of the winners for her topic, Music Perception in Bone Anchored Hearing Implant Users.

 

 

Another winner was Ph.D candidate Marsel Ganeyev, along with co-authors Maria Hoffman, Anders Palmquist, Peter Thomsen, Martin L. Johanssson, and Margarita Trobos. Their topic is the Characterization of Staphylococcal Clinical Isolates Obtained from the Bone Anchored Hearing System and Relation to Clinical Outcome. This work was performed in collaboration with Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden and the Department of Biomaterials, University of Gothenburg, in Sweden.

Early Career Scholarship

This scholarship was awarded to the six best-scoring early career abstract submitters. Marsadi Layne Parliament, Au.D was awarded for her topic, Pilot Study of Patients Who Do or Could Utilize a Bone Anchored Hearing Implant (BAHI): Preliminary Review of Cognition & Hearing Performance.

About the OSSEO Conference

The 2023 OSSEO Conference will be hosted by the Colorado School of Medicine from Sept. 6 to Sept. 9, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center. It is considered the most important conference in the field of bone conduction implant research. Oticon Medical will hold a reception and special educational showcase event featuring our latest product developments. We look forward to participating and interacting with bone anchored hearing professionals throughout the event.

A Reconstructive Surgeon Shares His First MIPS Experience

Leave a reply

Dr. Youssef Tahiri performed his first combination of ear reconstructive surgery and minimally invasive Ponto™ surgery (MIPS) in December of 2022. The procedure was conducted on a pediatric microtia/atresia patient, Sean, under general anesthesia (due to the reconstruction) in a surgical center under the guidance of an Oticon Medical representative.

Previously, Sean wore his Ponto processor on a softband, which he received when he was only three months old. At the age of 8[1], it was determined that Sean had reached the right age and bone density to proceed with implantation so he could wear his new Ponto 5 SuperPower on an abutment for improved access to sound.

The following is an interview conducted by Oticon Medical with Dr. Tahiri regarding his experience with the procedure.

Did you encourage Sean’s parents to move forward with implantation

I definitely encouraged them to move forward with MIPS to help with hearing on Sean’s microtia/atresia side. Sean had been using the Ponto already and were loving the product. Importantly, he was very comfortable with the Ponto. So we all agreed to go ahead with a Ponto implant system placement.

How long did Sean’s procedure take?

The MIPS portion took approximately 20 minutes.

How did your Oticon Medical representative assist you in working with Sean and his family?

She was so useful since it was my first time using the Ponto system. She supported me through the different steps of the procedure. She made sure we had everything we needed for a successful procedure.

In this experience, did your patient experience a significant improvement in performance/hearing after implantation vs. wearing the processor on a softband?

Absolutely! His hearing outcome was significantly improved after implantation as compared to the softband.

What would you like other surgeons to know about MIPS who might not have tried it yet?

It is a straightforward and easy procedure. The risks are minimal while the benefits are great. Hearing is so important and thus implantation should not be delayed (once deemed medically safe for the patient), particularly with such a minimal, simple procedure.

Click through the link to watch what Sean and his mother have to say about his Ponto 5 SuperPower and experience undergoing MIPS.

About Dr. Tahiri

Dr. Youssef Tahiri is a Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon with a subspecialty in Craniofacial Surgery. After graduating from McGill Medical School, in Montreal, Canada, he completed his Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residency at McGill University and a Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children Hospital of Philadelphia. He also pursued a Masters Degree in Experimental Surgery, which he obtained with Honors. He embraces the most innovative, cutting-edge technique available in craniofacial and microtia surgery. He has published a very large number of peer-review articles and presented his work at numerous regional, national and international scientific meetings. His research interests include outcomes evidence based clinical studies and translational research to enhance patients’ care and safety through improved techniques and technology.

[1] MIPS is recommended for: 
- Adult patients with normal bone quality and bone thickness above 3mm, where no complications during surgery are expected
- Children with normal bone quality and a bone thickness above 4mm (typically 12 years or older), and other known factors have been considered and found suitable for single-stage surgery
- Patients, as per above, with a skin thickness of 12mm or less
Refer to Surgical Manual for complete information on MIPS

 

Announcing the Third Annual Good Vibrations Day | Bone Anchored Awareness Day

Leave a reply

Somerset, NJ.  Oticon Medical will once again celebrate Good Vibrations Day on May 3, 2023. This marks the third year since the company founded this non-branded celebration to raise awareness of bone conduction hearing treatment, which is also known as Bone Anchored Awareness Day. By opening the celebration to all bone conduction device manufacturers, audiology professionals, and wearers, the hope is that more people who could benefit from this hearing solution will learn about its benefits worldwide.

May 3 was selected specifically because it is the birthday of Per-Ingvar Brånemark, a Swedish physician and research professor known as the father of osseointegration, and the godfather of bone anchored hearing. His discoveries enabled the development of modern bone conduction hearing devices.

Wearers first joined the celebration of Good Vibrations Day in 2021 by sharing video clips, photos, and stories depicting their lives with a bone anchored hearing system. They have continued to share their experiences with others year-round, helping to spread the word about bone conduction as an effective treatment for certain forms of hearing loss.

“For over 10 years I lived unaided and was miserable,” said wearer Ross W. “I would often sit with others and just smile because I was lost by the conversations going on around me. I never could tell what anyone was saying, so it created a disconnect. But when I got my first bone anchored hearing system, I was out in the open talking to everyone rather than in a corner. I was also smiling a lot because I was engaged. It changed everything!”

Bone conduction describes having sound vibrations conducted into the cochlea via the skull. Bone anchored hearing systems use this process, bypassing missing or damaged portions of the wearer’s outer or middle ear and sending vibrations via the skull directly into the inner ear. From there, they can be processed by the brain as sound.

Currently, more than 250,000 people from all over the world use some form of a bone conduction hearing device. Good Vibrations Day celebrates them and their treatment—regardless of brand—by providing an opportunity and encouragement to share their experiences with this life-changing hearing technology.

“Oticon Medical knows that sound matters,” said René Govaerts, General Manager at Oticon Medical. “We launched Good Vibrations Day in 2021 and have continued to celebrate it annually because it is an important way to raise awareness about the benefits of bone conduction. Many people around the world still don’t know that bone anchored hearing systems are options for addressing their conductive or single-sided hearing losses. We will proudly continue to do whatever we can, in partnership with other manufacturers, hearing healthcare professionals, and current wearers, to spread the word about this effective treatment option.”

Leading up to and including May 3, Oticon Medical will be celebrating Good Vibrations Day around the world by sharing information, videos and photos from wearers, holding contests, and more through its social media platforms. As a non-branded awareness day, the company invites other bone anchored brands to join in the celebration by sharing content and organizing celebrations of their own.

Good Vibrations Day posts, stories, tweets, reels, etc. can be shared by all using the #GoodVibrations and #BoneAnchoredHearing hashtags. They can also be viewed and shared via the official Good Vibrations Day Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/boneanchoredhearing. Hearing healthcare professionals and wearers alike are encouraged to join the Good Vibrations Day Facebook Page.

Media Contact:

Hildy Silverman, Sr. Manager, Digital Marketing

580 Howard Avenue

Somerset, NJ  08873

(P) 888.277.8014

(E) info@oticonmedicalusa.com

About Oticon Medical

All our passion, knowledge, technology, and global resources are aimed at supporting professionals and helping users overcome their hearing loss so they can live full lives – now and in the future. Because we know how much sound matters.

More information can be found at www.oticonmedical.com/US

Ponto 5 SP: Power, Procedure, and Performance in One Processor

Leave a reply

As a hearing care professional, you might be wondering how to best explain the benefits of a Ponto™ 5 SuperPower with candidates for bone conduction technology. Of course it is helpful to share technical information, diagnostic conclusions, and other evidence. However, when speaking to a potential wearer or parent/caregiver of a younger candidate, nothing is quite as convincing as hearing about Ponto’s life-changing advantages directly from current wearers.

With that in mind, we have compiled the following three short videos, which contain clips from actual Ponto wearers and parents of wearers for you to share. Each highlights what we call the “Three Ps” of Ponto: Power, Procedure, and Performance.

We hope you find these compilations helpful and encourage you to share them with anyone you think might benefit from a Ponto bone anchored hearing system!

Power of Ponto

The Minimimally Invasive Ponto Surgical Procedure

The Performance of Ponto

Presidential Perspective

Leave a reply

Networking: Grow Your Audiology Business Organically

Many clinicians are uncomfortable with the business side of running a hearing clinic. You probably didn’t get into the field to be a marketer, and yet marketing is the key to a successful hearing care practice’s steady growth.

Finding ways to stand out from your competition is challenging—and often expensive. Some clinics utilize paid online advertising (Google ads, Facebook promotional posts), while others invest in television commercials and billboards. Yet arguably the best and more frequently neglected option for attracting new patients is free: word of mouth. There is simply no amount of monetary investment that draws new clients like positive referrals from existing patients and trusted medical professionals.

Generate positive reviews online and in real life

The following are simple ways to generate positive reviews and referrals from your existing patient base:

  1. Include a couple sentences at the end of your patient’s summary of their visit, the bottom of your invoices, and in follow-up emails. Examples:
    • Let us know how your visit went! Review us here (link to Yelp, Vitals, Healthgrades, etc.).
    • We appreciate referrals! Tell someone you love we are here to help.
  2. Offer existing clients who refer new patients a percentage off their next visit. You can also offer a discount to those new patients off their first visits to encourage them to come through the door.

Consider offering a percentage off in exchange for a positive review (but include a request that if they have a concern or issue to contact your office directly instead of publicly reviewing).

  1. Leverage social media. Maintain a presence on Facebook and Twitter, at minimum. Encourage your patients to Like/Follow/Share your posts. Keep posts engaging with helpful tips for maintaining good hearing health, treating hearing loss, and just-for-fun posts (e.g., National Talk Like a Pirate Day). Personalize by including features and photos about yourself and others working in your clinic. Remember, you don’t have to produce all the content yourself! Share posts from your partners like Oticon Medical on bone anchored hearing solutions and other relevant topics.
  2. Offer yourself as an interview subject. Local news outlets (online and off) are always looking for informative, human interest, and helpful tips content to share. Call or email their editorial departments (you can find contact info on media websites) and offer yourself as an expert to discuss hearing issues. They get informative content, and you get free publicity – win, win!

Marketing your services through other medical professionals

Another often overlooked source of referrals are professionals in other health disciplines. Reach out to primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists in comorbidities of hearing loss that communicates how working together can help improve their patients’ overall health. Informative points you can make in your outreach communications include the following:

  • Hearing health assessments are integral to overall health maintenance, on par with seeing an eye doctor for regular checkups
  • Unaddressed hearing loss can be an indicator of, or contributor to, numerous comorbidities
  • Treating hearing loss improves patients’ lives physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially
  • Mutual referrals would benefit their patients and practice as much as yours

Wondering how to get your mutual referral plan into the hands of local medical professionals? You can either work with a marketing firm to assemble a hearing care reference guide for physicians or assemble your own. Research the PCPs and specialists in areas with known connections to hearing loss (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer treatment) and send either a printed package or email to their office. You may even want to drop by in person to introduce yourself and offer them pre-printed flyers for their waiting rooms on hearing loss and treatment. Present yourself as an expert who is easy to work with and will help them offer a more integrated approach to their patients’ health… and of course, offer to mutually refer appropriate patients to them.

Most PCPs strive to offer their patients holistic care. If you position your clinic and its offerings as a way to help them achieve this, the benefits of partnering with you will become clear. Yes, this will require some investment in time and money, but the potential for referrals from multiple sources makes it worth your while.

Remember that we are here to help! Contact your Oticon Medical representative to get material on hearing losses treatable by bone anchored hearing devices like the Ponto™ 5 SuperPower you can repurpose as part of your patient and professional outreach programs.

The Ponto 5 SuperPower

Leave a reply

Technical Tips from Auditory Technical Services

We launched the much-anticipated Ponto™ 5 SuperPower in May. Clinicians and patients alike have been eager to experience the smallest, most powerful abutment-level bone anchored hearing device on the market. For this blog, we asked Auditory Technical Services to provide some tips for clinicians to consider when they are fitting this brand-new device.

What software do I need to program the Ponto 5 SuperPower?

There is a new update with Genie Medical BAHS for the Ponto 5 Superpower. You will need Genie Medical 2022.1. This can be obtained by using the Genie Medical (GM) Updater in your hidden icon menu. You can right-click to start the download and installation.

If GM Updater does not work for you or you cannot find it, feel free to call Auditory Technical Services at 888.277.8014 and choose Option 4 when prompted. We can send the software to you via a share link after account verification.

What features in the Ponto 5 SuperPower will benefit my patients?

The Ponto 5 SuperPower has all the wonderful features of the Ponto 5 Mini, but with added MFO allowing a fit for hearing loss up to 65 dB HL BC. Ponto 5 SuperPower also offers OpenSound Navigator™ for 360o sound that provides proven better speech understanding in noise, OpenSound Optimizer™ for 5 dB more stable gain with less potential for feedback and is built on the Velox S™ platform. As a bonus, this most powerful sound processor also has low-energy Bluetooth® for direct connectivity to Apple® products and other connectivity.

What wireless accessories are compatible with the Ponto 5 SuperPower?

Our entire portfolio of wireless accessories that patients have come to rely on are compatible with the new Ponto 5 SuperPower, including the ConnectClip™, EduMic™, TV Adapter™ 3.0, and remote control. As with the Ponto 5 Mini, this new device is Made for iPhone® and has the ability to stream an audio signal directly to the iPhone. Our Oticon ON™ app is available for use for both iPhone and Android™ users.

Which app(s) can be used with the Ponto 5 SuperPower?

  • Oticon RemoteCare for remote programming sessions
  • ON can be used for controlling the Ponto 5 SuperPower using a compatible smartphone
  • Ponto Care™ app is great for support and guidance, but also to help patients develop good cleaning and maintenance habits with their softband, abutment or Ponto processor
  • Lastly, Oticon RemoteCare allows providers to perform adjustments to patient processor settings during telehealth visits

I have a patient who wants to upgrade from the Ponto 3 SuperPower. Where do I start?

That is a great question! It is actually a very simple process. There are two insurance forms that need to be completed and returned to the Insurance Services Department at Oticon Medical: a Patient Insurance Form and an ENT Insurance Form.

  1. The patient will complete and return the Patient Insurance Form to Oticon Medical Insurance Services Department along with a copy of their insurance card.
  2. The audiologist and ENT will complete the other form, the ENT Insurance Form and return it to Insurance Services along with these documents:
  • A signed prescription for the ordered upgrade (must be signed by a physician)
  • Medical notes (should be within the last year)
  • Latest copy of audiogram (should be within the last year)
  • Processor and Accessory Order Form

The items can be returned to our Insurance Services Department via email at insuranceservices@oticonmedical.com or faxed to 888-683-8736. If you have any specific questions, our Insurance Services Department is happy to assist you by email or phone at 855-400-9761. They are available Monday-Friday, 8am-8pm EST.

Lastly, if you are wondering if the patient is eligible for an upgrade based on the age of their current Ponto processor, please contact Customer Service M-F 8am-8pm ET at 888-277-8014 (choose Option 1) or email anytime to info@oticonmedicalusa.com and they can quickly provide you with that information.

Is the Ponto 5 SuperPower MRI-safe?

No, the Ponto 5 SuperPower processor is not MRI-safe and should be removed prior to getting an MRI scan. However, the implant and abutment are MR-Conditional and may be subjected to a MR scan as long as following conditions are met:

  • Static magnetic field of 1.5 and 3 Tesla only
  • Maximum spatial field gradient of 3,000 gauss/cm (30 T/m)
  • Maximum MR system reported, whole body average specific absorption rate (SAR) of 4 W/kg in the first level controlled mode.

In non-clinical testing, the image artifact caused by the device extends approximately 10 mm from the Ponto Implant System when imaged with a gradient echo pulse sequence and a 3.0 Tesla MRI system.

What should I consider when fitting a pediatric patient with a Ponto 5 SuperPower?

You are off to a great start by considering fitting a pediatric patient with the Ponto 5 SuperPower. There are several benefits that you and your patient will appreciate, and we are excited to have an opportunity to touch base on a few of them:

  • High MFO, OpenSound Navigator & OpenSound Optimizer. The ideal choice to ensure audibility and output and headroom for the dynamic range of speech, sound processing technology that provides access to the full soundscape to support incidental learning, and advanced feedback management that prevents feedback without compromise, as it does not reduce gain.
  • Integrated battery door lock. There is no need to change out the battery door, because it has a locking mechanism right on the door that is intuitive to use and ensures the battery door is tamper-resistant to small fingers. Simply use the Multitool and turn the screw clockwise in the direction of the locked padlock icon to lock the battery drawer. To unlock the drawer, turn the screw counterclockwise in the direction of the unlocked padlock.
  • Excellent battery life with the 675 (CI) battery of approximately 54-120 hours.
  • Pediatric Preferences Settings. Directionality and noise reduction features based upon age of the child.
  • Age bracket notification. When a child comes back for follow-up, this makes it easy to identify if changes to the Pediatric Settings are due to be reviewed and adjusted.
  • Multiple pediatric Outcome Measures (ELF, CHILD, PEACH)
  • DSL-BC Pediatric Fitting Rationale. Found under Program Manager or set it as your fitting default under Preferences
  • LED Indicators for peace of mind (Start-up, Continuous, Program, and Volume Changes)
  • EduMic compatibility for school-friendly, easy-to-use FM connectivity or remote mic use
  • Parent-friendly Connectivity. Oticon ON App, direct-to-iPhone, Find My Processor, and  ConnectClip
  • Ponto 5 Softband. Coming soon! Anticipated for release in late summer 2022 (NOTE: implantation is contraindicated for patients up to 5 years of age)

Oticon Medical has a great resource for pediatrics. The Pediatric Fitting Guide is available on our website for download, or you can request hard copies for your clinic from your local Oticon Medical Clinical Specialist. ATS is available should you have any questions, or you would like fitting assistance.

I am fitting a Ponto 5 SuperPower for the first time, and I might need some assistance. Who can I call?

The Auditory Technical Support team is available and on standby to support you when you need it. You can reach us via email at audiologysupport@oticonmedical.com and by phone at 888-277-8014 (Option 4). Our hours are 8am-8pm EST.

About the authors

Gail Leininger, Au.D., CCC-A is an audiologist who has worked with implantable technologies for over twenty years. She is an Auditory Technical Specialist for Oticon Medical.

Nicole Maxam, Au.D. CCC-A is an Auditory Technical Specialist at Oticon Medical and joins the team with 17 years of experience as an audiologist.

Alicia Wooten, Au.D. CCC-A is a Senior Auditory Technical Specialist at Oticon Medical. She specializes in implantable hearing devices and has a strong passion for aural rehabilitation and its impact on patient outcomes.

Presidential Perspective

1 Reply

We Can Help You Provide High-Quality Telehealth Service to Audiology Patients

I think you’ll agree that one major takeaway from the past two-plus years is that having virtual alternatives for providing patient care has moved from nice to have to necessary. The inability or inadvisability of meeting with audiology patients live in offices or clinics has taken a toll on business, and unfortunately delayed individuals in need of hearing devices from pursuing treatment. Considering the already sizable gap from diagnosis of hearing loss to purchasing hearing devices (an average of 7 years), we certainly didn’t need another barrier to spring up and further delay treatment. Yet here we are.

Previously, many audiology professionals expressed reticence to adopt telehealth options for hearing healthcare. The concerns ranged from not wanting to be “on call” 24/7 to reluctance to learn the new technology, and concerns about whether quality of care could be on par with in-person visits. While all valid concerns, what was once a value-added offering has become a must for treatments to proceed. And even though the worst of the pandemic appears (fingers crossed!) to be behind us, there is no way to know for sure that we won’t find ourselves in a similar situation, where in-person visits become impossible again. Not to mention we still have patients who, due to personal health issues, cannot travel easily to clinics for live appointments. Providing viable telehealth alternatives could be the deciding factor between a patient electing to go to your clinic or seeking help from your telehealth-friendly competition.

As your partner in providing end-to-end hearing healthcare solutions, we have added a major telehealth solution to our new family of Ponto 5 bone anchored hearing systems: Ponto 5 RemoteCare. Additionally, we continue to offer our Ponto Care app. The following is an overview of both of these conveniences, and how they help enhance the level of care you can offer BAHS wearers.

Ponto Care app

The free, secure, HIPAA-compliant Ponto Care app enables you to support and guide your patients from the Trial through Aftercare BAHS fitting phases. It aims to make patients more engaged, independent, and involved in their bone anchored treatment by providing them with a self-help tool right on their mobile phone. This allows them to have the best possible trial experience and insightful conversations with you, their hearing care professional, as they move through the process. Patients are guided as to how and where to use their Ponto, can rate different environments, take notes, send you a report, and much more. For example, during the Aftercare phase, you can take the first baseline photo of the implant site, and then show your patient how to use their phone’s camera to monitor their implant site and keep notes about their progress. These can be shared with you during your next face-to-face or remotely.

The best way to get the app set up is to download it with your patient while they are in your office. It’s easy to access from either the App® Store or Google Play™. Run through the app’s screens while explaining the importance of the report and clarify when and where to send the report according to your preferences. You can also send your patient a reminder a few days before a follow-up appointment if they haven’t emailed you their report yet.

Ponto 5 RemoteCare

Hold virtual appointments with patients and provide follow-up care, adjustments, and upgrades remotely using the Ponto 5 family’s RemoteCare option. Your patient will need to pair their smartphone with their BAHS, install the app, and set up an account. All required instructions for use are provided in the app itself. You and your patient will be able to see each other onscreen during appointments so long as both of you have cameras enabled, but if desired you can turn yours off. You can also text back and forth during the meeting if conversation via audio proves challenging. As you adjust your patient’s Ponto devices, they will see graphic indications that this is taking place, along with a notice that settings are being uploaded and when they have been completed.

One thing I’d like to stress: using RemoteCare does not mean you are expected to hop on appointments or adjust your patients’ devices around the clock. You arrange with them to set appointment times exactly as you would if you were meeting with them in your clinic. This is simply a convenient, viable alternative for patients who, for whatever reason, cannot or do not want to come into your clinic. Also, RemoteCare is for touching base and making fairly minor adjustments to devices. It is not meant as a substitute for care and treatment requiring more in-depth consultation, testing, or repairs.

Talk to your Oticon Medical rep about telehealth alternatives

Ready to learn more about our options for supporting you in providing high-quality virtual care to patients? Your OM representative will be happy to discuss your needs and our tools. For general information on the support we provide to audiology professionals, please visit https://www.oticonmedical.com/us/support/professionals/bone-conduction/.

Presidential Perspective

Leave a reply

2022 Training Opportunities for Hearing Care Professionals

I consider providing training opportunities to clinicians an important element of being a full-service partner to our professional customers. Sadly, due to global issues beyond everyone’s control, our options to offer live training sessions were greatly diminished since 2020. Fortunately, due to our long relationship with Audiology Online, we were able to continue providing online training, and have had such a positive response to these that even with live trainings returning in 2022, we will continue offering online courses as well.

Below you will find our planned training opportunities, both in-person and online, for the first half of 2022. First though, a word about how we plan to keep everyone safe during our live events.

Live training Covid-19 safety guidelines

The health and safety of our customers is a priority. As states have re-opened and Oticon Medical plans to host in-person customer training, our plans include the following guidelines for all sessions with 10 or more attendees (including Oticon Medical staff). These guidelines are designed for the protection of you, our valued professional customers, as well as our employees and will remain in place until further notice:

  • For live training sessions with 10 or more individuals, attending Demant employees will be fully vaccinated and wearing masks.
  • All customers must sign a waiver stating they understand Oticon Medical will adhere to CDC Covid-19 guidelines for in-person seminars, and that they commit to complying with all rules and restrictions.
  • Some additional requirements may be put in place by the venue in which a training event is being held. The venue will provide attendees and Oticon Medical with any additional guidelines as needed.

And now, speaking of in-person training opportunities, here are the live courses we have planned so far. More will likely be added as the year progresses, so keep in touch with your Oticon Medical representative and check your email for future announcements.

Upcoming New Product Training

We will be offering training opportunities for select customers throughout 2022. As these arise, we will send out email invitations with more details about subject matter, location, and registration. Please keep an eye on your inbox for these exciting future opportunities!

Oticon Medical’s 2022 AAA Course Offerings

Oticon Medical will be offering four in-person training presentations at the 2022 AAA Conference, which is being held in St. Louis, Missouri. We look forward to seeing you at one or more of these sessions:

  • March 31
    • 12:30pm – 1:00pm Rm. IU202: Clinical Evidence Supporting OpenSound Navigator™ & Pediatrics with a Ponto Sound Processor
    • 1:10pm – 1:40pm Rm. IU211: Bone Anchored Hearing Solutions: The Ponto 5 Family & OpenSound Optimizer™
    • 1:50pm – 2:20pm Rm. IU220: Coordinated Adaptive Processing for the Oticon Medical Neuro Cochlear Implant System
  • April 1
    • 1:50p – 2:20pm Rm. IU320: The Oticon Medical Neuro Cochlear Implant System – Latest Technology in Cochlear Implants

To attend, please go to the AAA event’s online registration .

Audiology Online Oticon Medical Courses

Audiology Online will host the following online courses from Oticon Medical. For more details, including CEUs and hours offered, please click through the links provided below. You can check the AO website and your emails from us for announcements of additional courses throughout the year.

  • March 15: The Ponto Implant System: A surgical overview. This course will discuss surgical aspects of the Ponto implant system, including details on Osseointegration, Minimally Invasive Ponto Surgery (MIPS), and MONO surgery, providing valuable information to any clinician recommending bone conduction amplification.
  • April 15: Ponto 5 Mini Advanced Fitting Techniques – Adult and Pediatric Populations. This course will train clinicians on best practices and advanced fitting techniques for fitting the Ponto 5 Mini for both adults and children. This course will use case studies to illustrate examples of challenging fitting scenarios for adults and children.

We look forward to welcoming you to a live training or seeing you on onscreen at one of our live webinars soon!

Audiology Awareness: An Important Conversation

1 Reply

“What do you do for a living?”

“I’m an audiologist.”

“What’s that?”

If you are an audiologist, chances are you have had a version of this conversation with someone.

As I enter my 19th year of audiology practice, and I reflect on the number of times that I have had to explain my field of work to someone that I just met, my mind is filled with questions. We live in changing times in the field of audiology, in which over-the-counter hearing aids have been approved by the FDA, and patient performance has significantly improved thanks to the advances of hearing aid and hearing implant technology. As clinicians, we are able to give our patients with varying degrees of hearing loss more treatment options than ever. At the same time, multiple recent studies have shown deep connections between hearing loss and other health problems, such as dementia, depression, and a heightened fall risk.

Thus, the question begs to be asked: In 2022, why are there so many people who don’t know what an audiologist is?

Why raising public awareness about audiology matters

In my quest to answer this question, I happened upon an original study published in 2022 by the Hearing Health Collaborative in Otology & Neurology. This study, entitled “Awareness, Perceptions, and Literacy Surrounding Hearing Loss and Hearing Rehabilitation Among the Adult Population in the United States”,[1] took a deep dive into our adult population’s mindset about hearing and hearing loss.

This study, which included 1,250 surveyed adults between the ages of 50 and 80, revealed that for this group, addressing hearing loss was third to last on a list of 11 health conditions that people felt needed to be prioritized. This study also revealed that only 9 percent of survey respondents could identify what constituted “normal hearing”, while 93 percent could accurately identify what is considered “normal vision”. The survey respondents overwhelmingly stated that they would be more likely in the next 12 months of their lives to take their pet to a veterinarian (59%) than to get their hearing tested (27%). Another interesting takeaway from this study is that only 15 percent of primary care physicians regularly screen their patients for hearing loss during regular check-ups.

This study comes at a time when, although treatment options for hearing loss have increased and become more advanced, adoption of those treatments amongst patients remains low. Current estimates are that only about 20 percent of the adult population with hearing loss seek treatment for their condition in the form of hearing aids or implantable devices.

What’s next for audiology?

Audiology has come far in the last few decades, but we still have work to do. What are some action items that we can perform to promote the services we provide as audiologists and encourage others to move hearing health to the top of their priority list?

Encourage loved ones to get their hearing checked

We can start our efforts at home. Often, we joke with our significant others and family members about selective hearing, but the reality is that I don’t know when my own mother last had her hearing tested. Audiologists are well-versed in the research that earlier is better when it comes to seeking treatment for hearing loss. We can speak up and encourage regular hearing tests amongst our own friends and family and teach them why identifying hearing loss early makes a difference. We can promote audiometric screenings and widen the reach of our profession by starting with those in our inner circle.

More research is needed

We need to discover why the adoption rate of hearing loss treatment is so low. The study I mentioned above leads to more questions, such as:

  • What piece are audiologists missing in educating our patients?
  • How can we do better?
  • This particular survey was completed in people aged 50-80. What about younger adults?
  • How can audiologists work to reach the population in their younger years to start promoting hearing health sooner?
  • How prevalent is gender, cultural, and age bias toward adopting treatment?
  • How can we work to improve the barriers to treatment, such as reimbursement and that low referral rate from primary physicians?

For clinicians, questions lead to more questions, and the need for continued research in this important area cannot be minimized.

A call to action

Hearing loss is invisible. No one can see it. It can cause poor quality of life, social isolation, and difficulty in relationships. Audiologists can normalize regular hearing screenings and bring hearing health from the back burner to the front of people’s minds. Our gift to give as audiologists is to bring that human-to-human connection that’s driven by good conversation back to those who have lost it due to their hearing loss. One by one we can work to make sure that the next time someone asks what you do for work, and you tell them you’re an audiologist, you get a nod and a knowing smile.

March 3rd is World Hearing Day

As I googled hearing loss awareness and explored the internet for information to add to this article, I found that March 3rd is World Hearing Day as designated by the World Health Organization (WHO). Audiologists can take this moment to celebrate what we do and promote to our patients the importance of making hearing health a top priority. Perhaps it’s a good opportunity to invite new and existing patients to your office for an annual hearing screening. World Hearing Day is a global initiative that we can use to our advantage to spread the word about the effects of hearing loss on quality of life and why treatment matters.

About the author

Courtney Smith, M.A., CCC/A, is the Clinical Trainer for Oticon Medical. She in in her 19th year of practicing audiology. She has practiced in private practice and university hospital settings in Las Vegas, NV. She completed her training at the University of Iowa in 2003.

 

[1] M.L. Carlson, et al, Awareness, Perceptions, and Literacy Surrounding Hearing Loss and Hearing Rehabilitation among the Adult Population in the United States, Otology & Neurology, Vol. 43, No. xx, 2022

 

EduMic – The Easy FM Connectivity Solution

Leave a reply

We all know the importance of supporting children with hearing loss when distance, noise, and reverberation affect listening and learning in a typical classroom setting, but what do you do when the student wears a hearing device? What if they need to use an FM system in the classroom? Before your head starts to swim and eyes glaze over, I have great news for you—Oticon’s EduMic™ is a product you will fall in love with! Oticon Medical’s Ponto™ device[1] works together with the EduMic to maximize children’s speech understanding for language development, learning, and socializing opportunities.

The EduMic is a remote microphone system (RMS) featuring 2.4 GHz wireless technology. Built on the Velox STM platform, the EduMic features advanced signal processing, including OpenSound NavigatorTM technology. When noise, distance, and reverberation become challenging in the classroom, EduMic is a vital partner to the Ponto processor. EduMic uses the same innovative open sound technology found in other Oticon Medical[1] products to analyze, balance, and remove noise. It delivers stable and clear access to the teacher’s voice by continuously monitoring the environment and removing unwanted noise—even between words.

Designed for dynamic learning environments and built to last

Beside its ability to be used as a remote microphone, the EduMic provides easy access to an FM system in use at school without the teacher needing to wear two microphones. EduMic also enables access to a variety of audio sources to ensure that students stay connected and engaged during class. Teachers can plug the EduMic into a computer, smartboard, or tablet using the 3.5 audio microphone jack connection. The audio jack also allows easy integration with existing sound field systems, accessing multiple audio sources and microphones simultaneously. Smaller and lighter than many remote microphones at just 32 grams,  EduMic features a sleek, modern design and 10-hour battery life.

Built to last, EduMic is robust and designed to handle the demands of everyday life and withstand accidental dropping. EduMic uses a single rechargeable Li-ion battery that can be left charging overnight without fear of overcharging. Signal strength is also thoroughly tested in a typical classroom environment to ensure a high-quality connection. The 2.4 GHz signal is strong and stable even in a typical WiFi-heavy environment when the teacher is speaking through EduMic.

EduMic teacher and student benefits

Best of all, teachers love EduMic! A usability study conducted by Oticon Inc. examined teacher’s perspectives on ease of use, discreetness, attractiveness in relation to design, and also wearing comfort.[2] The study showed teachers have a strong preference towards EduMic’s design and comfort compared to a competitor’s remote microphone solution. Teachers rated EduMic as easier to use compared to a leading device on the market, very user-friendly to pair and mute, and very comfortable to wear.

According to a study at Boys Town National Research Hospital, researchers found a significant improvement in speech understanding in a noisy and reverberant environment for students fitted with hearing aids wearing the EduMic.[3] Speech understanding improved as 6 dB more noise could be tolerated in the noisy environment test condition when EduMic was used with hearing aids compared to using hearing aids alone. In the noise + reverberation condition, 5 dB more noise could be tolerated when EduMic was used together with hearing aids over hearing aids alone. The results support the positive impact of using EduMic compared to hearing aids alone in both noisy and noisy + reverberant acoustic environments. EduMic allows children with hearing aids to handle poor signal-to- noise ratios in the classroom.

EduMic is available as a Ponto accessory choice

EduMic and our Oticon Medical bone anchored hearing devices are based on our BrainHearing™ technology, which is designed to deliver what the brain needs to make sense of sound. We are excited to announce that this extraordinary remote microphone system  is now available as a free accessory choice with Oticon Medical Ponto orders! Do you have pediatric bone conduction patients to whom you would like to offer EduMic as an accessory option? To learn more about the many exciting features in our Ponto processors and their clinical benefits, including integration with the EduMic accessory, please contact your regional Clinical Specialist.

About the Author

Gail Leininger, Au.D., CCC-A is an audiologist who has worked with implantable technologies for over twenty years. She is an Auditory Technical Specialist for Oticon Medical.

For more information on EduMic, please visit:

[1] Ponto 4 and Ponto 5 Mini
[2] Gordey & Rumley 2019 Enhanced Learning with EduMic Oticon White Paper
[3] Data on file