Hearing News Watch

MANCHESTER, UK–Douglas Beck, AuD, a prominent American audiologist, received the 2012 Jos Millar Shield from the British Academy of Audiology (BAA). The long-standing award is presented annually to the person who has submitted the best article for a BAA publication in the previous year. Beck won for his article “What – I Didn’t Know That!,” which was published in the

HARRISONBURG, VA–Andrea Liuzzo, a doctor of audiology student at James Madison University (JMU), is the 2012 recipient of the Roger Ruth Memorial Fund Student Research Award. It was presented to her at a special ceremony last month at the Ruth Symposium. The award was created in 2009 in memory of Dr. Roger Ruth, PhD, for his tireless efforts to promote

RESTON, VA—A study commissioned by the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) has found that giving Medicare beneficiaries direct access to audiologists would save Medicare about $240 million over 10 years. In a message e-mailed to AAA members on November 7, Deborah L. Carlson, PhD, president of the academy said, “This compelling and comprehensive study shows what the academy has purported

By Fred Cohen MONROE, LA–An employment discrimination case brought by Wanda Smith, a lien release processor with J.P. Morgan Chase, Smith claimed that even using prescriptive hearing aids she still does not hear at the level of a typical adult. She was fired by Chase for failing to meet a productivity benchmark of 13.34 lien releases processed per hour. Chase

WATERTOWN, MA—A web site has been created to give people with both hearing and vision loss access to technology that can connect them with deaf-blind people around the world. iCanConnect.org offers a wealth of advanced communications technology, including video that is both audio-described and closed-captioned, screen-enlargement software, and videophones. The new web site is part of the iCanConnect campaign mission designed

PHOENIX—The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) unveiled a new campaign last week during its annual meeting that will advocate for changes in the Social Security Act (SSA) to improve audiologic care for Medicare beneficiaries. Among its objectives is to finally achieve audiology’s unfulfilled goal of providing Medicare patients with direct access to audiologic treatment. In announcing the plan at

By Holly Hosford-Dunn PHOENIX–Blogging lived up to its name last week. Starkey’s new “Made for iPhone” hearing aid platform was unveiled, apparently prematurely, in a special student workshop at this year’s Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) conference in Phoenix. Those sessions were marked “students only,” and it seems that an audiology student took good notes and wrote them up.

HAMILTON, ON—Traditionally, hearing aids have helped people with hearing loss by amplifying and processing sound in such a way that users can make the most of their residual hearing. They are not expected to improve people’s ability to hear unaided. But now, for the second time in the past few months, hearing aid technology has been introduced that is intended to

CLEVELAND–Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine filed lawsuits last week against two hearing aid dispensing businesses in northeast Ohio, accusing them and their owners of multiple violations of consumer law, including misrepresenting products and services. Named in the October 24 announcement were American Hearing Centers Network LLC, owned by Joseph Boles, and Southland Hearing Center, owned by Jeffrey Jones. American Hearing

SKODSBORG, DENMARK—Patient-centered care is a popular concept these days, and certainly sounds like a good idea for any area of health care, including hearing care. However, the Ida Institute notes, during its various seminars and workshops and in conversations at professional meetings, audiologists have sometimes expressed skepticism about it. They wonder if patient-centered care is a fluffy, intangible, time-consuming add-on