Hearing News Watch

PHOENIX—The Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ACDHH) issued a strong statement last week opposing the service-delivery model developed by hi HealthInnovations for online hearing testing and sale of hearing aids directly to consumers. Although the commission said it “encourages efforts to find a safe, effective and affordable methods of delivering hearing health care in America,” it

SAN MATEO, CA—Sonitus Medical, Inc.,  manufacturer of the only non-surgical and removable hearing device that transmits sound via the teeth, announced this week that it has closed a $25 million Series D round of venture capital funding. Several investors took part, led by Abingworth, an international investment group dedicated exclusively to the life sciences and healthcare sector. The Sonitus Medical

SILVER SPRING, MD–The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) will offer a free webinar next week to tell consumers what they need to know about hearing loss and hearing aids. The 30-minute webinar will take place Wednesday, May 23, at 2 pm Eastern time. The featured speaker will be Shu-Chen Peng, PhD, an audiologist

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ—Bravo has not (yet) found room on its schedule for The Real Audiologists of Hennepin County or Desperate Dispensers, and it will be a while yet before the nation gets to watch Snooki’s newborn being screened for hearing loss. However, what is loosely referred to as “reality television” really did pay a visit to Family Hearing Center in Lawrenceville,

Robert J. Briskey, a pioneer in audiology and among the first in his profession to work in the manufacturing sector, died on May 12 at age 87. A native of Detroit, he received his MA from Wayne State University in 1947, and was a member of the faculty there until 1952, when he became director of an audiology clinic that

The following obituary for Robert Sandlin, PhD, is derived in large part from The Hearing Review, and appears here with the kind permission of that publication. For further tributes to Dr. Sandlin, see this week’s post at Wayne’s World, and look for an upcoming post at Hearing Views.   Robert E. Sandlin, PhD, one of audiology’s best known and most beloved figures,

For many years, Richard Einhorn has been best known as one of America’s leading composers. But recently, he is gaining fame as a resourceful hearing aid wearer who is learning to take advantage of technology beyond amplification. Last fall, The New York Times and The Washington Post both ran articles that reported on the joy Einhorn felt when hearing loops allowed him

ARDEN HILLS, MN—While a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put a hitch, at least temporarily, in hi HealthInnovations’ (HI) online hearing testing and hearing aid dispensing program, the company that manufactures the devices for HI is thriving. IntriCon Corporation reported that its sales increased by 20% in the first quarter of 2012 over 2011. And,

Melissa K. Rodriguez, BC-HIS, who wrote the April 4 Hearing Views post at Hearinghealthmatters.org, is the author of the newly published book Hear Your Life: Inspiring Stories and Honest Advice for Overcoming Hearing Loss. Rodriguez, the daughter of a Beltone dispenser, obtained her license to fit hearing aids soon after graduating from high school, and earned her National Board Certification in 1995.

By David H. Kirkwood WASHINGTON, DC—The Hearing Industries Association (HIA) has called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start enforcing its regulations governing hearing aids, even when the devices are ostensibly “personal sound amplification devices” or PSAPs. In an April 19 letter to Steven Silverman, director of the Office of Compliance at FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological