Starkey - Best New Version of a Collaboration Solution

Company: Starkey, Eden Prairie, MN
Company Description: Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded by Bill Austin in 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey is the only American-owned provider of hearing technologies.
Nomination Category: New Product & Service Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Collaboration Solution – New Version

Nomination Title: Hearing Care Anywhere

In response to the ongoing challenges facing hearinghealthcare providers and their patients amid theCOVID-19 pandemic, Starkey made industry-leading telehealth technology available to even more hearing aid users. Effective on April 6, 2020, Hearing Care Anywhere remote programmingwas enabled across all technology tiers of Starkey’s Livio, Livio AI and Livio Edge AI hearing aids. The change allows more patients to receive care from their homes and gives hearing professionals the ability to conduct appointments despite social distancing. Through this latest update, even patients whose devices were not originally configured for remote programming are now able to access this important feature.

We live in an era of convenience. In fact, consumer expectations for convenience increaseevery day. The drive to offer more ease and flexibility has impacted various areas of service and is easily spotted as more retailers offer curbside pickup and delivery, businesses increase evening and weekend hours, in-home services, and even online appointments with a physician or nurse. As the hearing aid market continues to evolve, one certainty is patients'increased demand for the same levelofconvenience they receive in other facets of life. Starkey’s Hearing Care Anywhere™ offers convenience for both the patient and the hearinghealthcareprofessional. The remote hearing aid programming system is designed to seamlessly integrate into all professional practices, making it easy to provide both convenient and personalized service. The Hearing Care Anywhere system is comprised of the Hearing Care Dashboard and Inspire® X fitting software, used by the hearing professional, and the Thrive™ Hearing Control app, used by the patient.

Before using this feature, the hearinghealthcareprofessional must enable remote programmingwhen fitting a patient with Livio Edge AI, Livio AI or Livio hearing aids. After enabling remote programming, the Inspire X fitting software generates a unique code for the patient to enter in the Thrive app.

The Hearing Care Anywhere system is easy, flexible and convenient to use:
1.The patient submits a Help Request to their hearing professional via the Thrive app.
2.The hearing professional receives the Help Request in the Hearing Care Dashboard.
3.The hearing professional makes the requested adjustment in Inspire X and sends the adjustment to the patient.
4.The patient receives notification in the Thrive app that they have an adjustment to try.

For many clinics, up to 30% of appointments are for minor adjustments. In the past, clinicians needed to initiate remote programming via the Inspire software during face-to-face visits. Today, those adjustments can be handled remotely through Hearing Care Anywhere.

Outline the market performance, critical reception, and customer satisfaction with the product or service to date. State monetary or unit sales figures to date, if possible, and how they compare to expectations or past performance. Provide links to laudatory product or service reviews. Include some customer testimonials, if applicable (up to 350 words):

Hearing is often taken for granted until it is lost. During these challenging times, hearing is more important than ever to ensure information is effectively communicated.

HearingCare Anywhere is just the solution that Terence Limb,Au.D. was waiting for. Dr. Limb, who practices in Kirkland, Washington, said, “Since early on during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had to balance the dilemma of protecting our patients while ensuring their hearing devices are performing optimally. In the past, we didn’t always enableHearing Care Anywherein Inspire. This update enables me to continue to engage with patients during this difficult time. Moreover, it will change the way that we can better serve patient needs in the future.”

Gyl Kasewurm,Au.D., an audiologist in St. Joseph, Michigan, agrees wholeheartedly. “During this time of crisis, we have found theHearing Care Anywherefeature to be essential in helping our patients. While these unprecedented circumstances have forced us to embrace telehealth and the ability to remotely program hearing aids for our patients, we have discovered that remote patient care—which we previously thought of as “disruptive” to our business—has provided us with a tremendous opportunity to better serve our patients while protecting everyone’s health.”

Customers using Hearing Care Anywhere report that the benefitsextend beyond the value of the adjustment. Dr. Kasewurm reports that patients “appreciate the opportunity of having minor adjustments made via telehealth, while knowing that they can ALWAYS see one of our professionals for visits that require the personalized, patient-driven care that we are known for in our market.”

Dr. Limb states that “while the immediate benefitsof this update for Hearing Care Anywhere are often for our older, most vulnerable patients, we are also finding that the emerging Baby Boomer patients appreciate the convenience of remote programming in combination with the benefits of professionally-delivered care. I have to say that this whole experience has re-energized my enthusiasm for the way that I can compete in the market and move beyond patient satisfaction to patient ‘delight.’”