With the plethora of wireless hearing aid systems, this seminar is designed to give you the highlights and benefits of the new CLEAR 440 system by Widex with emphasis on the flexibility of use of the wireless DEX systems. An overview of Compass, Widex's fitting software, and its flexible fitting method will also be highlighted.

Learning objectives
- Following the presentation the attendee will be able to list 3 of the new features of the CLEAR440.
- Following the presentation the attendee will be able to perform a basic fitting of a Widex hearing instrument.
- Following the presentation the attendee will be able to pair and demonstrate the Widex DEXes

Biography:
Dr. Tibbs received his Bachelor of Science degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio & received his Doctor of Audiology degree from the University of Louisville. Prior to joining Widex, Dan worked as a clinical audiologist in Southern California & Ohio as well as in the cochlear implant industry. In addition to his role as a Professional Training Audiologist, Dan is the University Program Manager where he coordinates the Widex University Program, an outreach program for universities. He is currently based in Denver, Colorado.

In today’s competitive business climate, audiologists are expected to simultaneously deliver outstanding care to patients, while managing a profitable practice. This two-part seminar will explore the importance of improving business productivity and clinical quality during uncertain economic times. Using a combination of new technology, proven strategies and well established best practices, attendees will leave with a list of 20 actionable and practical ideas that can be implemented quickly - even the busiest audiology practice.
Part 1: Business Productivity - The Era of Low Hanging Fruit is Over
Part 2: Clinical Quality – Swimming Upstream in a River of Commodities

Biography:
Brian Taylor is the Director of Practice Development & Clinical Affairs for Unitron. He is also the Editor of Audiology Practices, the quarterly publication of the Academy of Doctor’s of Audiology. During the first decade of his career, he practiced clinical audiology in both medical and retail settings. Since 2003, Dr. Taylor has held a variety of management positions within the industry in both the United States and Europe. He has published over 30 articles and book chapters on topics related to hearing aids, diagnostic audiology and business management. Brian is the co-author, along with Gus Mueller, of the text book Fitting and Dispensing Hearing Aids, published by Plural, Inc. His soon-to-be published book, Consultative Selling for Audiologists will be available in late 2011. He holds a Master’s degree in audiology from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate in audiology from Central Michigan University.

The purpose of this program is to educate hearing healthcare professionals on methods to improve earnings in their audiology practice:

Audiologists face mounting competition along with rising practice costs. More than ever, this requires audiologists to find new sources for patients and run a highly efficient business – while providing high quality care to patients. In this seminar, we will show and discuss several ways that audiologists can better their earnings.

At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

• Identify factors that should be considered in pricing services and hearing instruments
• List several initiatives that can help grow patient traffic
• Evaluate the pros and cons of becoming in-network providers with insurance companies
• Position themselves for best reimbursement rates with insurance companies
• Identify and fix “leaks” in their revenue to ensure they are collecting all of what they’ve earned

Bios:
Kevin O’Shaughnessey brings urgency, practicality and results as an advisor and consultant to audiology and other healthcare practices based on 20 years of senior management, consulting and business ownership experience. He has served as the COO or General Manager of both fast-growing and distressed businesses as well as provided consulting services to dozens of businesses in healthcare and other industries. He has worked with audiologist practices in Colorado on overall practice earnings improvement, revenue management, payer contracting, service and product pricing, and strategic planning. Kevin earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BS in biology and math from Alma College.

Holly O’Hara
Holly O’Hara draws on 25 years of management and consulting experience to help healthcare practices succeed. She has assisted more than 45 businesses to maximize earnings through initiatives such as operational improvement, revenue growth and profitability improvement. Her experience spans many industries including work in medical practices, home health care, DME leasing, pharmaceutical, medical supplies manufacturing, residential homes for special need adults and clean-room cleaning. Holly has served in roles of Chairman, CEO, COO and Advisor for numerous businesses. She holds her bachelor’s degree in marketing and her MBA from Xavier University, where she graduated with honors.

Abstract
The movement towards digital technology over the past decade has provided numerous benefits for the wearer. In this presentation, digital features will be defined in terms of the real world applications and wearer benefits. To increase the utility of a wearer's hearing instruments, the advantage of wireless connectivity will be described and the addition of Bluetooth devices will be demonstrated.
To illustrate the ease of use of wireless connectivity, individuals will participate in a listening demo.

• Attendees will be able to identify the different algorithms used in BestSound Technology and apply this information within the CONNEXX software to maximize the wearer's experience.
• Attendees will be able to demonstrate the components and use of the miniTek Bluetooth Enhancement System to increase utility of the hearing instruments for the wearer.
• Attendees will be able to describe the feature, benefit and value of utilizing BestSound Technology and wireless connectivity.

August Hernandez
Dr. Hernandez received his Bachelor of Arts in Speech Pathology & Audiology from Northern Arizona University, his Master of Arts in Communication Disorders & Speech Sciences from the University of Colorado, Boulder and his Doctorate in Audiology from Salus University. He worked clinically in the Boulder/Denver area for three years before joining Siemens Hearing Instruments in 1997 and is currently responsible for training and education of staff and customers in the U.S.

Carol Meyers
Dr. Meyers received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Nebraska and completed her Au.D at Arizona School of Health Sciences. Her clinical experience comes from working at the University of Iowa as well as a nonprofit agency, a private practice and several medical settings in Colorado. In her role as Education Specialist, Carol is responsible for providing both customer and staff education on Siemens products and services.

Dr. Beck earned his master's degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo (1984) and his doctorate from the University of Florida at Gainesville (2000). His career started at the House Ear Institute (LA) in cochlear implant research and intraoperative cranial nerve monitoring. Five years later he was appointed Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology and Director of Audiology at Saint Louis University. After eight years in that capacity he co-founded a private audiology-based dispensing practice in St Louis. Dr. Beck became Editor-In-Chief of www.audiologyonline.com, www.speechpathology.com and www.healthyhearing.com in 1999. Doug joined Oticon in 2005 as Director of Professional Relations. In 2008, he was appointed Web Content Editor for the American Academy of Audiology (AAA). Dr. Beck is a prolific author and entertaining speaker. He has addressed a wide variety of audiology and professional topics via hundreds of publications and is well known internationally for his entertaining and educational podium presentations.

ABSTRACT:
As audiologists, our professional goal for our patients involves much more than simply “hearing louder.” Indeed, the goal is better defined as “listening success.” To be able to listen successfully, multiple cognitive abilities need consideration including overall processing speed, working memory, attention and more. The interaction of cognition and audition is of paramount importance to the patient and the audiologist, because listening is where hearing meets brain. In this presentation, top-down (i.e., cognitive) and bottom-up (i.e., sensory) processes will be explored with specific regard to which technologies facilitate improved “listening success.” Further, we’ll explore and review recently published information which supports the use of these technologies. The application of specific “intelligent automatics” (such as noise reduction, adaptive directionality, and coordinated compression) to working memory, binaural processing, spatial hearing and more will be addressed. A brief question and answer period will be provided.

This course will review how directional microphones work and explain the difference between fixed and adaptive directionality. New innovations that take advantage of synchronized directionality will also be reviewed. Recent studies and case studies comparing synchronized directional systems to non synchronized directional systems will also be reviewed. Participants in the course will gain a better understanding of new possibilities in directional microphone systems.

Biography: Nate Schau, AuD is the Manager of Audiology for Phonak Hearing systems. He received his AuD from Rush University. Prior to working as Manager of Audiology at Phonak he held positions in Technical Support and as a Customer Trainer at Phonak He also worked as a Clinical Audiologist with Sonus Hearing. He is a member of the American Academy Audiology and Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Communication Disorders & Sciences at Rush University.

The purpose of this program is to educate hearing healthcare professionals on Cochlear's(tm)implantable hearing technology including:

Nucleus 5® Cochlear Implant System and Baha® System. Attendees will learn about how the products work, how they differ from hearing aids, identification of potential candidates, referral procedures, surgical considerations and the benefits of binaural hearing including the benefits of bimodal hearing. Participants will learn about the benefits of building successful referring partnerships between dispensing professionals and implant centers.

At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

• Discuss the impact of hearing loss - profound bilateral and unilateral sensorineural, mixed, and conductive - on daily communication and socialization.
• Summarize preliminary candidacy qualifications for Nucleus cochlear implants and the Baha system.
• Describe the benefits of binaural hearing and the use of a hearing aid on the non-implant ear
• Discuss the benefits of building successful referring partnerships between dispensing professionals and implant centers
• Describe the evaluation protocols and pre-operative assessments for cochlear implants and the Baha system.

Bio:
Wendy Fuller is the Territory Representative for the Rocky Mountains with Cochlear Americas. Wendy came to Cochlear Americas in 2007 bringing over
13 years experience as a Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing in Northern California. She has held positions internally working closely with the BAS Clinical Team, Operations, and Customer Service Teams. Wendy received her Master of Arts in Communicative Disorders: Education of the Deaf from California State University, Fresno.

This session provides information about hearing loops and how supporting their use can increase business for audiologists as well as client satisfaction since the best experience in a hearing loop is dependent on a well-adjusted hearing aid. The presentation will address the benefits to clients of providing and adjusting t-coils for optimal use in the growing number of loop installations. There will be demonstrations of the many types of loop installations and uses that are typically unknown to most audiologists. Suggestions for t-coil programming will be included. Information on competing technologies will be discussed along with manufacturer trends. This presentation is important for all audiologists to “Get in the Hearing Loop” initiative.

BIOGRAPHY: Laura Hansen is the owner of Assist 2 Hear, LLC in Littleton, Colorado. Observing family members and friends struggle with hearing loss issues, even though they have hearing aids, prompted Laura to research and promote Assistive Listening Devices and Induction Loop Systems to help improve the quality of life for those with hearing impairments. Having worked in the Senior Care industry, Ms. Hansen has seen many people isolate themselves because they cannot hear in social settings and are unaware of available products to help in these settings. Her mission is to help educate the general public and individuals with hearing loss about available options to improve hearing in their own home as well as public venues and social settings. She is committed to making improvements to public and private meeting places to help them conform to ADA guidelines for those with hearing disabilities. Hearing loop education, community outreach, advocacy and professional loop installation has become the focus of her business. Assist 2 hear is working with SERTOMA, Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, HLAA and other groups to improve hearing access across Colorado.

In 1992, Dr. Weber was CAA's first secretary along with other much younger looking people. The orginal board will all be attendance. Join us for an enjoyable trip down memory lane noting the many accomplishments of CAA over the past 20 years.

Dr. Jennifer Weber is an Associate Professor and Program Area Coordinator of Audiology and Speech-Language Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Weber teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in diagnostic and pediatric audiology and amplification. She provides clinical supervision for on-campus and off-campus clinical practicum. Her research interests include aural rehabilitation, hearing aids, and diagnostic audiology.

The dynamic duo that made the Siemens Trivia Bowl at AAA such a success and time honored tradition will present the Colorado Trivia Bowl. Dr. Jerry Northern and Dr. Gus Meuller will test your knowledge and memory about events in Colorado related to audiology. The format is not set, but will undoubtedly be fun and entertaining.

Audiology practices are viewed as a blend of professional health care services and traditional retail trade. Yet, traditional retail businesses use certain marketing and pricing strategies that may make audiologists uncomfortable. This presentation will address the importance of providing patients with pertinent choices, including their choice of the audiology practice, product costs, and technology levels. Audiologists strive to survive in a market with declining reimbursement for services and increasing competition for product sales where patients have more choices of where to seek their hearing services. This presentation will provide audiologists with a better understanding of how patients make decisions including (a) how they select the best office practice to meet their hearing needs; (b) how they choose select technology; (3) the role of pricing and retail price models in audiology practices; (4) the relationship between price and quality; and (5) the role of emotions in rational decision making. The presentation will assist independent practitioners to successfully compete under current and future market conditions.

Dr. Northern is also Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and serves on the consultant to the Marion Downs Hearing Center at the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver, CO. Dr. Northern retired from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1996 after 26 years of service as Professor of Otolaryngology and Director of Audiology Services.

As a native of Denver, Colorado, he received a BA degree in Experimental Psychology from Colorado College in 1962, holds Master’s degrees from Gallaudet University and the University of Denver, and earned his Ph.D. in Audiology at the University of Colorado (Boulder). He founded and served as editor for Seminars in Hearing and edited Audiology Today for 15 years. As a Founding Member of the American Academy of Audiology, Dr. Northern served as the organization’s third President.

Newborn hearing screening and early diagnosis/early intervention constitutes the most exciting and important development in our field in the past decade.

While screening is largely successful, there continue to be challenges associated with instrumentation/calibration, number of screening attempts, how information is communicated to parents/primary care physicians, and loss to follow-up.

This presentation will review best practices in screening and audiologic diagnosis, and emphasize the importance of the 1-3-6 paradigm in ensuring best possible outcomes for babies and families. Pitfalls in meeting the 1-3-6 targets will be discussed, and solutions/approaches will be presented.

Alison Grimes, AuD, is Head of the Audiology Clinic at Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center, and an Assistant Clinical Professor in Head and Neck Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She directs the Newborn Hearing Screening Program at UCLA, and serves as one of the AAA representatives to the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing. She is also a Past-President of the American Academy of Audiology.
Currently, Alison chairs the Pediatric Amplification Task Force for the AAA, is a member of the Pediatric Diagnostic Guidelines Task Force, and is a subject matter expert for the American Board of Audiology’s Pediatric Specialty Certification initiative.
Alison has served on the California State Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Licensing Board since 2000.

Hearing Aids are continually evolving ever offering more and different features for the fitters and for the users alike. New products arrive on the market with a frequency that challenges professionals and potential users of the technology to keep up with the developments. Are the new features developed as a result of evidence derived from careful research, and importantly do the features bring effective capabilities that provide real-world convenience and benefit to the end users? This presentation will discuss a number of popular and lesser known developments and how they have affected hearing aid use, satisfaction, and effectiveness in daily use for a variety of patients.

Dennis Van Vliet is Senior Director of Professional Relations at Starkey Labs, and previously as Director of Education and Professional Relations at AudioSync Hearing Technologies. He received a BS degree from University of California, Irvine in 1973; Master’s degree in Audiology from California State University, Fullerton in 1976 and AuD degree from Central Michigan University in 2003. Dennis has worked in various settings including private practice (10 years); Director of Audiology in a speech and audiology center (10 years), educational audiologist with the Los Angeles Schools (3 years) and clinical audiologist with the Otologic Medical Group (House Clinic) in Los Angeles (1 year). Prior to training to a career as an audiologist, Dennis was in the Navy and served two tour of duty in Vietnam. He is a regular contributor to “The Final Word” in the Hearing Journal.

In recent years, wireless technology has been increasingly applied to digital hearing aids to increase connectivity between hearing aids and the wearers’ acoustic environments. However, information on factors that could affect wireless performance has been sketchy. This course will explain the fundamental concepts behind wireless communication, including audio encoding and decoding principles, bandwidth and power considerations, and wireless transmission technology. Important questions to ask when reviewing a wireless system will be addressed.

Francis Kuk, Ph.D. received his PhD in Audiology from the University of Iowa in 1986. He has assumed staff and faculty positions at the University of Iowa and University of Illinois-Chicago respectively. He is currently the VP of Audiology at Widex USA. He has written and presented extensively in the area of hearing aid technology and fittings. He is also the editorial consultants for various professional journals.

Health and wellness services are well integrated into many medical specialties including dentistry, ophthalmology, optometry, ob-gyn, internal medicine and family practice, yet audiology and otolaryngology have yet to capitalize on this potential patient base. Advances in economical technology and implementation of creative service provision can provide supplemental revenue and ultimately build a long-term “healthy” patient base for your audiology practice. How does “prevention” fit into your practice?

Deanna Meinke, PhD, is currently an Associate Professor of Audiology and Speech-Language Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado. Presently, she serves as immediate past-president for the National Hearing Conservation Association and chairs the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) “Safe-in-Sound Expert Committee”. Her research interests include the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss throughout the lifespan and the use of distortion product otoacoustic emissions for the early detection and monitoring of noise-induced hearing loss. Her passion for hearing loss prevention targeting children is highlighted by her collaborations with colleagues from the Oregon Health & Science University in the delivery of Dangerous Decibels® educator training workshops in the U.S. and Canada.

Affiliation: University of Northern Colorado

Sandy Gabbard (Pres)
Bob Traynor (Pres Elect)
Abby Seaser (Sec)
Emily Wakefield (Treasurer)
Dan Ostergren (VP Membership)
Teri Ives (VP Professional Issues)

This presentation will introduce the audience to recent developments in Oticon Medical’s auditory osseointegrated hearing system. Patients using current systems report degraded sound quality and poor speech understanding in complex listening environments and some perceive feedback while wearing the sound processor. The presentation will provide an overview of how Oticon Medical is addressing these issues and offers advance technological developments as solutions.

OAEs are underused by clinical audiologists. Recent research provides evidence in support of the clinical application of OAEs in the early detection of cochlear auditory dysfunction associated with a diverse collection of etiologies, such as excessive sound (noise and music) exposure, ototoxicity, tinnitus, diabetes, and pseudohypacusis. Well-recognized as the procedure of choice for objective auditory assessment of infants and young children, ABR also has clinical value in selected adult populations. This session provides a practical, current, and critical review of evidence based clinical applications of OAEs and ABR.

James W. Hall III, Ph.D. received a Bachelor's degree in biology from American International College, a Masters degree from Northwestern University and, in 1979, his Ph.D. in audiology from Baylor College of Medicine under the direction of Dr. James Jerger. Since then, he has held clinical and academic audiology positions at major medical centers. Dr. Hall is now Clinical Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Florida in Gainesville where he maintains a clinical practice, participates in funded research, and serves as a clinical instructor and mentor in the Doctor of Audiology on-site and distance learning programs. He also holds an appointment as Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Communication Pathology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Dr. Hall is the author of numerous journal articles, monographs, or book chapters, as well as seven textbooks including the New Handbook of Auditory Evoked Responses and the recently published Objective Assessment of Hearing.