Services & Support
by Cochlear Guest Author

New Professional Resources to Support Sound Processor Upgrades

October 10, 2022
Share

Cochlear is committed to innovation, and we know one of the most exciting things about the technology is that it continues to evolve. Next-generation sound processors are designed to deliver improved hearing performance, new connectivity and capabilities, and work with a patient’s existing implant.  Historically, peer-reviewed publications demonstrate that upgrading to the latest sound processor technology has been beneficial for patients, clinics, and society.1-16

While Cochlear has comprehensive recipient-facing resources to help patients explore the benefits and process of upgrading their sound processor, as well as resources to help navigate payment and recipient testimonials about upgrading, we heard feedback from clinicians that the process of facilitating sound processor upgrades for patients can feel overwhelming and complex.  A sampling of the questions we’ve heard are: Who is eligible and how does one know?  What resources are available to clinicians and patients?  What is the current process?  To answer these questions and more, Cochlear is excited to announce a series of five professional-facing videos that provide an outline of the process, resources, and support available to you and your patients to make the upgrade process for a CochlearTM next-generation sound processor as seamless as possible.

Eligibility:

  • In this short video, we cover the first step, which is how to determine if a patient is eligible for a sound processor upgrade through their insurance, including how to use Custom Sound Pro to identify patients who have had their technology for more than five years.

Pre-Upgrade Counseling:

  • In the second video, we cover the multiple resources Cochlear has to support you and your upgrade eligible patients as they explore their options before placing an order.

Order Placement

  • In the third video, we cover we cover the options on how, where, and with whom patients can fill out and submit the sound processor upgrade order placement form.

Letter of Medical Necessity

  • In the fourth video, we cover a few key highlights about the Letter of Medical Necessity, which serves as the prescription allowing Cochlear to provide the specific products ordered and verifies that they are medically necessary for the patient’s cochlear implant to continuously function.

On-boarding

  • In this final video, we discuss the options available for onboarding after the patient receives their upgraded sound processor, typically 6-8 weeks after order placement.

We heard your feedback.  These videos are the first peek into of a comprehensive set of professional facing resources about sound processor upgrades that will be available over the coming months. 

References:

1. Hey M, Böhnke B, Mewes A, Munder P, Mauger SJ, Hocke T. Speech comprehension across multiple CI processor generations: Scene dependent signal processing. Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology. 2021 Aug;6(4):807-15.

2. Go­ -Gomez MV, Muniz L, Wiemes G, Onuki LC, Calonga L, Osterne FJ, Kós MI, Caldas FF, Cardoso C, Cagnacci B. Contribution of noise reduction pre-processing and microphone directionality strategies in the speech recognition in noise in adult cochlear implant users. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology. 2021 Aug;278(8):2823-8.

3. Mauger SJ, Warren CD, Knight MR, Goorevich M, Nel E. Clinical evaluation of the Nucleus® 6 cochlear implant system: Performance improvements with SmartSound iQ. International Journal of Audiology. 2014 Aug 1;53(8):564-76.

4. Mosnier I, Sterkers O, Nguyen Y, Lahlou G. Benefits in noise from sound processor upgrade in thirty-three cochlear implant users for more than 20 years. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology. 2021 Mar;278(3):827-31.

5. Pinheiro MM, Mancini PC, Soares AD, Ribas Â, Lima DP, Cavadas M, Banhara MR, da Silva Carvalho SA, Buzo BC. Comparison of Speech Recognition in Cochlear Implant Users with Different Speech Processors. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. 2021 Jul;32(07):469-76.

6. Plasmans A, Rushbrooke E, Moran M, Spence C, Theuwis L, Zarowski A, Oeciers E, Atkinson B, McGovern J, Dornan D, Leigh J. A multi-center clinical evaluation of pediatric cochlear implant users upgrading to the Nucleus® 6 system. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 2016 Apr 1;83:193-9.

7. Biever A, Gilden J, Zwolan T, Mears M, Beiter A. Upgrade to Nucleus® 6 in Previous Generation Cochlear™ sound processor patients. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. 2018 Oct;29(09):802-13.

8. Mauger SJ, Jones M, Nel E, Del Dot J. Clinical outcomes with the Kanso™ off-the-ear cochlear implant sound processor. International Journal of Audiology. 2017 Apr 3;56(4):267-76.

9. Mosnier I, Marx M, Venail F, Loundon N, Roux-Vaillard S, Sterkers O. Bene‑ ts from upgrade to the CP810™ sound processor for Nucleus® 24 cochlear implant patients. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2014; 271:49–57.

10. Warren CD, Nel E, Boyd PJ. Controlled comparative clinical trial of hearing bene‑ t outcomes for users of the Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor with mobile connectivity. Cochlear Implants International. 2019 May 4;20(3):116-26.

11. Maruthurkkara S, Allen A, Cullington H, MuJ, Arora K, Johnson S. Remote check test battery for cochlear implant patients: proof of concept study. International Journal of Audiology. 2021 Aug 24:1-0.

12. Maruthurkkara S, Case S, Rottier R. Evaluation of Remote Check: A Clinical Tool for Asynchronous Monitoring and Triage of Cochlear Implant Patients. Ear and Hearing. 2022 Mar 1;43(2):495-506.

13. Neve OM, Boerman JA, van den Hout WB, Briaire JJ, van Benthem PP, Frijns JH. Cost-bene‑ t analysis of cochlear implants: A societal perspective. Ear and Hearing. 2021 Sep;42(5):1338.

14. FoteC, Kennedy S, Milton AH, Deger M, Payk F, Sanderson G. Cost–utility analysis of cochlear implantation in Australian adults. Otology & Neurotology. 2016 Jun 1;37(5):454-61.

15. Cutler H, Gumbie M, Olin E, Parkinson B, Bowman R, Quadri H, Mann T. The cost-effectiveness of unilateral cochlear implants in UK adults. The European Journal of Health Economics. 2021 Nov 2:1-7.

16. Gumbie M, Olin E, Parkinson B, Bowman R, Cutler H. The cost-effectiveness of Cochlear implants in Swedish adults. BMC health services research. 2021 Dec;21(1):1-4.

Author

Cochlear Guest Author

In an effort to keep our content fresh and reflective of a diverse industry, Cochlear Americas features a mix of employees and professional partners to contribute to Cochlear ProNews as Guest Authors.

View all posts

Related Posts
audiologist and patient

Adult home-based hearing therapy manuals for you and your patients

August 28, 2019


professional services

The cochlear implant journey doesn’t stop at surgery.

Hearing therapy, or rehabilitation, may be an important component for successful hearing outcomes. As clinicians, you are instrumental in getting your patients motivated and equipped with the appropriate training resources to improve listening skills and communication strategies to drive desired outcomes.

On top of that, you are managing the ever-growing demands of your practice and patient population. Finding sufficient time to train each newly activated CI patient on auditory skills may be difficult.

professionalClinician-guided home practice consolidates and supplements the work done in the clinic and plays a vital role in the post-implant process. It enables the patient to practice within their own listening environment, rather than the controlled environmental conditions within the clinic. Home-based practice tools also allow patients the opportunity to become more proficient at listening to their most frequent communication partners.

Beginning early October 2019, all adult cochlear implant system and upgrade kits will include Cochlear’s Adult Home-Based Hearing Therapy Manual. A clinician’s version of the manual can be ordered directly from your Cochlear representative or can be downloaded and printed online. This manual will guide you in establishing an appropriate training level for each of your newly activated CI patients and help 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. Download and print a copy of the recipient manual for your use now.

We developed these to provide hands-on hearing therapy materials that are adaptable, covering a range of auditory abilities and designed to supplement the work done in the clinic, not to replace it.

To learn more about professional rehabilitation resources please visit our rehabilitation resources website.

cochlear link logo

Cochlear Link connection

June 1, 2020

Interview with Mila Duke, AuD

Manager of Audiology Employee & Student Development at Hearts for Hearing

What initially drew you to field of audiology?

I have always had to desire to work in medicine and/or with children. I was initially introduced to this field by my aunt who is a speech-language pathologist and thought it would be a nice combination of my interests. As with most audiologists, after taking my first introduction to audiology course as an undergraduate, I quickly discovered that audiology would be my calling instead. The rest is history!

What Cochlear resources or services do you and your patients find most helpful during their cochlear implant journey?

Many patients who are either just starting their cochlear implant journey or have been implanted for a while thrive by talking with other recipients about their experiences. Some ways patients can do this is through engaging in the Cochlear volunteer program, attending Cochlear Celebration or attending local Hearing Loss Association of America meetings. We feel that the patients who are most successful with their cochlear implants have a strong working knowledge of their technology and realistic expectations. Further, I offer any resources or services that I feel will best educate my patients.

How has the current global environment changed the way you deliver care? How will telehealth change the clinical care landscape?

We live in an area where patients typically drive on average an hour each way to our clinic. Telehealth will provide us the ability to serve patients who may not have the resources to make the trip to see us before, during and after this global pandemic. Many of our older and/or immunocompromised patients may be nervous to return for needed programming, and telehealth will provide us with an opportunity to help serve these patients.

How has Cochlear provided remote support to you and your patients during this time?

During the COVID pandemic, we have been able to request new equipment for patients using the myCochlear Clinic professional portal. With Cochlear Link, there is hardly any delay sending the processor(s) to the patients’ homes. We have also watched many professionally-based online webinars that have provided wonderful learning experiences while working remotely. 

How long has your clinic utilized Cochlear Link?

We were fortunate to be a part of the pilot program and started using Cochlear Link in 2015.

What are the benefits of Cochlear Link?

Cochlear Link has been critical in our efforts to provide the best care for our patients. Our clinic has grown extensively in the last few years which has led to an even greater need for a program like Cochlear Link. It has also saved our clinic precious resources by cutting down on the time needed to upload MAPs, register processors, etc.

How has Cochlear Link saved time?

In the second year using Cochlear link, we saved approximately 260 clinic hours and reinvested this time with our patients. This is huge and the number has only grown as we’ve added more audiologists and patients to the clinic.

Does it allow you to see more patients?

Absolutely. Audiologists and audiology assistants can now spend more time counseling and educating patients on cochlear implant equipment, which as I mentioned previously, is one of the factors that we feel helps patients succeed.

For more information, subscribe to Cochlear ProNews.

About the author:

Dr. Mila Duke is an audiologist at Hearts for Hearing in Oklahoma City, OK. Dr. Duke received both her Bachelor’s degrees in Speech and Hearing Science and her Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) at the University of North Texas. Dr. Duke completed her externship at Hearts for Hearing where upon graduation, she joined the team full time in 2013. At Hearts for Hearing, Dr. Duke sees a variety of clinical patients including adult and pediatric evaluations, hearing aids and cochlear implants. Dr. Duke serves as a coordinator for audiology students who complete clinical rotations at Hearts for Hearing.

Cochlear logo - white

©Cochlear Limited 2024. All rights reserved. ACE, Advance Off-Stylet, AOS, Ardium, AutoNRT, Autosensitivity, Baha, Baha SoftWear, BCDrive, Beam, Bring Back the Beat, Button, Carina, Cochlear, 科利耳, コクレア, 코클리어, Cochlear SoftWear, Contour, コントゥア, Contour Advance, Custom Sound, DermaLock, Freedom, Hear now. And always, Hugfit, Human Design, Hybrid, Invisible Hearing, Kanso, LowPro, MET, MP3000, myCochlear, mySmartSound, NRT, Nucleus, Osia, Outcome Focused Fitting, Off-Stylet, Piezo Power, Profile, Slimline, SmartSound, Softip, SoundArc, True Wireless, the elliptical logo, Vistafix, Whisper, WindShield and Xidium are either trademarks or registered trademarks of the Cochlear group of companies. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

 

This material is intended for health professionals. If you are a consumer, please seek advice from your health professional about treatments for hearing loss. Outcomes may vary, and your health professional will advise you about the factors which could affect your outcome. Always read the instructions for use. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for product information.

 

Cochlear ProNews is monitored Monday through Friday, excluding some holidays. Questions and inquiries submitted over the weekends or holidays may see a delay in response. For immediate assistance please contact us directly. You are solely responsible for your interactions with other members of our Websites. Cochlear reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor disputes or communications between you and other members of our Websites. For a full list of Cochlear’s terms of use, click here.