by Cochlear Guest Author

Upcoming Obsolescence

March 5, 2019

The Cochlear™ Baha® 4 Sound Processor will become obsolete on March 31, 2019 in both the US and Canada. The Cochlear™ Nucleus® 5 Sound Processor will become obsolete on March 31, 2019 in the US and on June 30, 2019 in Canada. This means that beginning on the obsolescence dates, Cochlear will no longer sell parts or accessories for the obsolete sound processors and will no longer repair or support them. Your patients may continue to safely use their obsolete sound processors in accordance with your professional care.

Please be assured that Cochlear’s decision to phase out production and support of aging technology is made carefully, considering multiple factors, and that Cochlear has available updated sound processor technology that is compatible with your patients’ current implant so that they can continue to hear without the need for additional surgery.

If your patients have any questions about insurance coverage or other insurance benefit related questions, please direct them to Cochlear’s Billing and Insurance Services team at 1-800-633-4667, Option 2.

If you have any questions, please email us at ProCare@Cochlear.com

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.

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Fostering patient self-managed care and device confidence with Cochlear Recipient Solutions

November 27, 2023

By Elizabeth Sweet, Au.D, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine

With more candidates being referred for hearing implants than ever before, it’s imperative for clinics to reexamine clinical efficiency in order to meet the growing demands and adapt to the changing landscape of the hearing health industry. Recent data show that:

Nearly all patients report that they are now comfortable with the use of telehealth for non-emergency care¹
85% of adults aged 50+ own a smartphone and the technological gap between younger and older patients is closing²

Self-managed care, as part of Connected Care solutions, empowers your patients to actively manage their hearing outcomes in partnership with you, receiving care when and where they need it using the latest in digital technology.

This case study explores how the Cochlear Recipient Solutions Manager (RSM) Program can help enhance patient outcomes by fostering self-empowerment through a personalized and easy to use program, the linchpin of evolving patient expectations. This team of trained Cochlear professionals ranging from AuDs, SLPs, educators and beyond, provide a best-in-class virtual learning experience for new hearing implant recipients looking to increase confidence with their new devices and to achieve hearing goals.

Read on to hear from a fellow clinician:

Setting the scene

Your patient has decided to pursue a cochlear implant. They’ve undergone surgery and healed, and now they’re in your office for activation! You’ve finished your programming for your patient, they’re hearing sounds again and now the time has come to show them how to use their devices.

With your eight years of education in Audiology and multiple years of clinical experience, you could likely change batteries and pair a Mini Microphone 2+ in your sleep! Your patient, however, maybe has seen these devices in person or online only once. They’re trying to acclimate to this new way to hear while also absorbing all of the information on these devices that they are expected to use on their own. This is why activation appointments can sometimes feel overwhelming for you and your patients as there is a long list of topics to cover.

Instead of rushing through all these topics, I decided to change my approach – I now program and demonstrate enough that the patient can go home and use their new device then schedule an appointment with our local Cochlear RSM to cover the following:

Programming
Counseling on how to charge batteries
Teaching patients how to use the Zephyr Dry & Store
Practicing how to put on the sound processor
Registering for a Cochlear Account
Setting up phone streaming
Explaining progressive MAPs
Discussing the extensive list of other topics that our patients need to know about their new devices

Within a few weeks, I found that patients were returning to me with less questions and expressing feeling more confident with their devices which, in turn, gave us more time for programming and evaluating progress.

Below, I outline the story of a patient with whom my RSM and I partnered together to provide quality care.

Case study

Meet John (name changed for privacy):

John is a 67-year-old man who recently retired from a corporate job. He now spends his time with his grandchildren and tutoring high school students in math. When I met him for his candidacy evaluation appointment, he was utilizing binaural amplification but was interested in learning about cochlear implants. Though he reported struggling to hear on the phone during these activities, he did not believe his hearing was “bad enough” at that point to really consider surgery.

Following testing and counseling, John decided to pursue cochlear implantation with two Nucleus® 8 Sound Processors, the Mini Microphone 2+, TV Streamer and an extra rechargeable battery. His surgery went well and before we knew it, he was back for activation. John is a real go-getter and he approached the cochlear implant process wanting to learn and do all that he could to be successful.

On activation day, I created John’s initial MAP and counseled him on how to change/charge his batteries, how to put on his device and how to move through his progressive MAPs. We scheduled his appointment with our local RSM to review what we had talked about as well as other topics he was eager to learn about.

At the end of our appointment, he expressed feeling “excited but overwhelmed.” One week later, John arrived at his next follow-up expressing confidence in his ability to use his devices. He had paired his processor to his phone, started aural rehabilitation using the Cochlear Copilot app and was all ready to begin using his Mini Microphone 2+ during his tutoring sessions to better hear the students around him! Accessories can seem to get pushed to the wayside to allow for more programming and counseling on the basics, but because of his appointment with an RSM, John was in a more secure spot than he would have been if I had squeezed all of that information into our short time together. When asked about his experience with the RSM, John said, “ It made me much more comfortable with the processor and I’m able to hear the TV very well without blasting my wife out of the room!” It was a great feeling to see John expressing confidence and independence in such a short time.

Outcomes

The progress John displayed so quickly is now the norm for many of the recipients I see and it is thanks to the support from our RSM. The Cochlear RSM Program has become invaluable in my personal practice as it gives patients the tools to cultivate independence with their devices, and therefore lessen the load placed on our clinic. I can spend more time on what is most important to the patient and in many cases, save them an extra trip to the clinic to discuss topics that the RSM is more than qualified to handle. My RSM has become instrumental in the success of my recipients and saved me valuable time and resources.

Learn about all of the support services that Cochlear provides to help our partners be successful: 2023 Connected Care and Service Report

It’s easy to schedule an appointment with your local RSM on behalf of your patient. Click here to start!

About the author:

Elizabeth Sweet, Au.D, CCC-A is a doctor of audiology within the Division of Audiology in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Audiology-Head and Neck Surgery. She has clinical expertise in the diagnosis and management of hearing disorders, hearing aids, and cochlear implants. Dr. Sweet strives to provide compassionate and personalized care to improve the quality of life for her patients.

Doctor of Audiology – University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Bachelor of Arts – University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Member of the American Academy of Audiology
Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology, American-Speech-Language and Hearing Association

Predmore ZS, Roth E, Breslau J et al (2021) Assessment of patient preferences for telehealth in post-COVID-19 pandemic health care. JAMA Netw Open, 4(12):e2136405
Kakulla B. (2021) Tech Trends and the 50-plus: Top 10 biggest trends [Internet]. Washington DC: AARP Research, 20212. [cited 2021 Nov 24]. Available from https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00420.001

A history of meaningful innovation

February 7, 2022

By Zach Pollack, Product Manager, Cochlear Implants

Why does innovation matter to Cochlear? Why is it important to continue advancing our technology?

Innovation matters to Cochlear because we are focused on delivering key technology improvements to our recipients. These innovations bring performance that matters, a true connection to life and a lifelong commitment to all of our recipients. The most advanced and reliable devices on the market are a result of 40 years of innovations.

When asked about Cochlear’s innovations over the course of his career, Dr. Britt Thedinger from the Ear Specialists of Omaha says,

“I have seen Cochlear’s innovations over the past 30 years truly changing people’s lives for the better. The dependability, sound quality and customer service have had a dramatic difference in each patient’s life.”

While our history of innovation is deeply rooted in the implant, processor and electrode-side of the business, we have also been innovating our software and services along the way. These innovations are interconnected, and recipients experience these innovations at different times throughout their journey with a Cochlear device. This is why it’s so important that the first ever CI22M Implant recipients have access to the most advanced technology in the industry with the Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor.

So, with the most reliable implants on the market and advanced features within our sound processors, what are we setting our sights on next? Through investing in new technologies to help transform the way people connect with hearing care, we hope to make care more patient-centered, accessible and sustainable. We call this Connected Care. Our Connected Care technologies enable patient data to securely connect from the surgical suite to the clinic and into the patient’s everyday life. Some recent innovations within Connected Care including technologies supporting the delivery of Surgical Care and Remote Care, have already started to transform how patients and professionals connect with each other.

Remote Care– Remote Check and Remote Assist

We’ve brought to market first-of-its-kind solutions, like Remote Check, into the Connected Care landscape for CI recipients. Remote Check allows professionals and patients to assess performance without the need for an in-person appointment, helping ensure recipients continue to hear and stay connected. This is facilitated through the Nucleus Smart App and can be completed from the comfort of the recipient’s home. Their audiologist can then view the results and follow-up as necessary. Whether a young child accidentally fell on the playground and the parent would like to confirm the device is functioning properly, or a patient who has had their device for 20+ years and would like to minimize exposure to healthcare environments for an annual appointment, Remote Check allows both of these recipients to receive care when and where they want or need it.

In addition to Remote Check, we are proud to announce FDA approval and clearance in the last month for Cochlear™ Remote Assist in the Nucleus® and Baha® Systems. Remote Assist is more like a conventional telehealth visit, where the audiologist and patient can engage through a live video call, and the clinician can make live adjustments or changes to the patient’s processor. This tool is facilitated through the use of the recipient’s cell phone and the Nucleus and Baha Smart Apps, bypassing the need for any wired connections.

Surgical Care– Nucleus SmartNav

Another core aspect of Connected Care is integrating the O.R. into a connected treatment pathway. SmartNav offers key insights during surgery through intraoperative testing that can increase confidence in electrode placement and device performance prior to leaving the O.R. and is a great tool for those centers that don’t have access to intraoperative imaging. Data from SmartNav can then be exported into Custom Sound® Pro to give the Audiologist baseline data to better prepare for an initial activation. The data to support in theater decision making helps surgeons ensure patients have the best possible opportunity to maximize their outcomes.

At Cochlear, we are committed to pushing the envelope with new technology and have been committed to that goal for over 40 years. We’re proud that our recipients have access to the latest technology and features that allow them to connect to the world around them and are excited about what is to come.

To learn more about Connected Care, read our latest Service Report!

SmartNav offers a variety of measurements. These insights are one source of information and do not guarantee clinical outcomes.

Remote Check is intended for ages 6 and older. The Remote Check feature is only visible and accessible if the feature is enabled by a clinician. Clinicians should consider the suitability of the feature before enabling Remote Check. Remote Check does not replace clinical care and does not involve remote programming of the sound processor. Remote Check is not compatible with Baha 6 Max Sound Processors.

Remote Assist for Baha is intended for a follow-up adjustment or setup of a replacement or upgrade sound processor for suitable qualified patients based on clinical judgment. For compatibility information visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility.

Remote Check and Remote Assist for CI are intended for ages 6 and older. The Remote Check and Remote Assist feature are only visible and accessible if the features are enabled by a clinician. Clinicians should consider the suitability of the features before enabling. Remote Check is not compatible with Baha 6 Max Sound Processors. For compatibility information visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility.

The new Baha Smart App is compatible with the Baha 6 Max Sound Processor. Baha 5 Sound Processors are compatible with the Baha 5 Smart App. The Baha Smart App and Baha 5 Smart App are available on App Store and Google Play. For compatibility information, visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility.

The Cochlear Nucleus Smart App is available on App Store and Google Play. For compatibility information visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility