Services & Support
by Michaela Coon

6 important adult CI hearing therapy resources

November 12, 2020
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With more time spent at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, hearing therapy tools are more vital than ever to encourage proactive practice as rehabilitation can be an important component for successful outcomes. Clinicians are instrumental in motivating and equipping patients with the appropriate training resources to drive desired outcomes.

Here are a few adult-based resources to share with your patients:

Hearing therapy tips handout

These hearing therapy tips help instill confidence in hearing capabilities through varied level activities. Moreover, app and web solutions are also provided for language and word recognition lessons.

Telephone with Confidence

Want to provide resources to your patients to help with using their phone? The Telephone with Confidence program is a free service consisting of a toll-free number and rotating list of words and phrases to follow along with online as they practice using the telephone with an implantable hearing solution.

Communication Corner 

 Cochlear’s Communication Corner provides specific programs and resources that can be utilized and completed in the comfort of home. These can be tailored to meet any individual’s listening and language needs. The adult programs and activities are designed to improve listening, encourage conversations and instill confidence. Activities focus on detection, discrimination, identification and comprehension, in addition to telephone communications, music appreciation and pitch perception improvement.

Bring Back the Beat

The Bring Back the Beat app is designed to help cochlear implant recipients reconnect with music through a self-managed, game-based practice tool that facilitates music appreciation and pitch perception.  Users can monitor their own progress as they advance through the various levels.

Hearing therapy webinar

Cochlear’s Hearing Therapy Resources as a Clinic Differentiator webinar will guide you through the myriad of patient-dependent options you can utilize to support your patients.

Adult Home-based Hearing Therapy Manuals

A clinician’s version of the Adult Home-Based Hearing Therapy Manuals provides a guide for establishing an appropriate training level for newly activated CI patients and helps to better manage time spent on training of auditory skills.

The recipient manual includes a Hearing Therapy Exercise Plan, which can be completed by the clinician and the recipient for in-home training use. 

To learn more about our resources please subscribe to Cochlear ProNews.

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How the Lend an Ear Program can provide your pediatric bone conduction patients early access to sound

May 14, 2020

You know that early access to sound can make all the difference for your pediatric patients. The Cochlear™ Lend an Ear Program was created for children 12 and under who need early access to sound through a bone conduction solution.* Our unique program enables you to fit your patients with a Baha Start System using a Baha® 6 Max Sound Processor while the insurance approval process takes place. With this program, your patients gain access to critical sounds as early as possible to help them hear, learn and develop essential communication skills.

Why choose the Cochlear Lend an Ear Program? It is:

  • Designed for early access to sound. Allow your pediatric patients to meet their hearing needs as soon as possible, prior to obtaining insurance authorization.
  • Designed for convenience. Once insurance approval is obtained, the technology is your patients’ to keep with no further need for equipment exchanges or fitting appointments.
  • Designed for optimal hearing performance. We’ll provide your patients with a Baha Start System. This includes a Baha 6 Max Sound Processor, along with the choice of a non-surgical wearing option (Softband or SoundArc™) and an accessory.
  • Designed to provide premium power. Our Baha 6 Max Sound Processor delivers more power with a fitting range of up to 55 dB SNHL in the same small size as other 45 dB devices and features our most advanced sound processing technology and direct streaming with a compatible smartphone.
  • Designed for peace of mind. Patients can use warranty services that include processor repair and access to one-time theft & loss coverage while insurance approval is pending.
  • Designed to suit your clinic practice and patient needs. Get started with the Lend an Ear Program by choosing the insurance billing option that works best for your clinic and patients:
    • Option 1: Cochlear’s Reimbursement and Insurance Services bills insurance
    • Option 2: Your clinic bills insurance

Get started

Get started with Option 1: Cochlear’s Reimbursement and Insurance Services bills insurance

  1. Discuss the program with your patient and caregiver using the Lend an Ear counseling resources.
  2. Submit the order to reimbursement@cochlear.com by completing the following two forms with your patient’s caregiver so you can easily customize the order depending on what suits your patient the best:
  3. Your patient’s sound processor will be shipped in a matter of days!
  4. We’ll reach out to you and your patient for additional documentation after we ship the device, including a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN), clinical documentation and any other documentation necessary to complete the order.
  5. Once insurance approval is obtained, we’ll ship your patient’s system accessory and full ownership of the device will be transferred to them.

Get started with Option 2: Your clinic bills insurance:

  1. Discuss the program with your patient and caregiver using the Lend an Ear counseling resources.
  2. Submit the order to procare@cochlear.com by completing the following form with your patient’s caregiver so you can easily customize the order depending on what suits your patient the best:
  3. Your patient’s full Baha Start system will be shipped in a matter of days!
  4. You’ll follow-up with insurance to obtain approval.

To learn more about the Lend an Ear Program visit AudiologyOnline or email reimbursement@cochlear.com.

* The Cochlear Lend an Ear Program is offered in the United States only and is for pediatric patients who are new to a non-surgical bone conduction solution.

In the United States and Canada, the placement of a bone-anchored implant is contraindicated in children below the age of 5.

The Cochlear Baha 6 Max Sound Processor is compatible with Apple and Android devices.  For compatibility information visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility

Counseling

Identifying upgrade eligible patients with Custom Sound Pro

July 11, 2022

By Kyle Longwell, Product Manager – Software and Clinical Care

We know one of the most exciting things about Cochlear technology is that it continues to evolve. Next-generation sound processors are designed to deliver clearer sound, new connections and capabilities and work with a patient’s existing implant.

When patients are considering an upgrade to newer technology, one of their main considerations is improvement in hearing performance. In addition, your patient’s insurance company has considerations for when a sound processor upgrade is medically necessary for patients. 

Patients are typically deemed eligible for a medically necessary sound processor upgrade by their insurance company when their device is out of warranty, and one or more of the following occurs:

  • The device has reached its “end of useful life”—usually after five or more years of continuous use
  • The device is lost or irreparably damaged
  • The device is retired or obsolete, which is a normal part of a product life cycle that occurs as technology advances
  • There is a demonstrated improvement in hearing performance with next-generation technology

As with all technology, there is a set time period that it is likely to remain in service before newer technology supersedes it. Many insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, may authorize the replacement of a sound processor when it has reached or passed a stated period of “useful life,” usually five years.

As new technology is developed, older sound processors may become outdated and retired. Cochlear may decide to phase out production and support of aging technology, after which time, parts and accessories may no longer by available.

We know it may be a challenge to identify patients who might be ‘upgrade eligible’ and want to provide a few tips that might help along the way. Custom Sound® Pro fitting software has useful tools built in to help you identify patients who have reached the “end of useful life” of their sound processor and might be ready for an upgrade. Using Custom Sound Pro, you can identify individual patients and also pull a report to proactively identify groups of patients who have had their sound processor for more than five years.

When opening a specific patient record in Custom Sound Pro, you may see a notification on the patient dashboard which will indicate that an individual patient has had their sound processor for more than five years, and that newer technology might be available to benefit the patient. You will see a yellow ‘!’ icon to indicate this notice. You can ignore the notification (no specific action required) or dismiss by opening the pop-up message and clicking Dismiss, but the icon itself can serve as a hint that the patient is in outdated technology.

Another available tool in the fitting software is the Device Status Report located in the Tools menu of Custom Sound Pro which can be used to generate a spreadsheet of your clinic database including patient sound processor type and fitting date. After clicking on Device Status Report, an Excel file is generated from non-archived patients within the database that can be sorted and filtered, based on clinician preference. The information in the report (namely, Latest_Sound_Processor_Model and Years_Since_Earliest_Session_Date) can be another useful way to identify patients that may benefit from newer technology.

When your patients are ready to upgrade to newer technology, Cochlear has a host of resources available to help patients understand how to upgrade and the steps needed to upgrade their Cochlear sound processor. Whether patients prefer to self-pay for their new sound processor or utilize their insurance benefits, Cochlear’s specialists can help walk through the process, get their order started and navigate their insurance, if applicable.

Read more about the benefits of upgrade technology.

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