Services & Support
by Michaela Coon

Cochlear Americas First Annual Service Report

August 20, 2020
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We’re proud to introduce Cochlear Americas’ First Annual Service Report.

For almost 40 years, Cochlear has been bringing people all over the globe into a world of sound. During that time, we have brought innovation in both our technology and our supporting services. Cochlear Care is a portfolio of services built on feedback and designed to keep our patients and our professional partners’ needs in mind.

Our innovative and personalized service offering covers the entire professional and patient journey inclusive of education, insurance support, technical support, community connection and hearing therapy. Cochlear has pioneered web, portal and cloud-based services for hearing implant recipients that are now accessible 24/7 and personalized to the patient or clinic. We value and utilize feedback to evolve as an organization and continuously develop services to meet the needs of our partners.

In this report, we illustrate how our portfolio of services keeps our mission at the heart of all we do. The report does not include every service that Cochlear offers but rather, highlights services that support the patient journey, the professional experience and the services that connect patients and professionals virtually.

For more information, read the Service Report here.

Related Posts

Ready-to-Wear Cochlear™ Sound Processor Upgrades

March 4, 2024

Getting a sound processor upgrade can be an exciting and anticipated occasion for your patients.  Did you know there is an option for your patients to receive their new Nucleus® or Kanso® Sound Processor upgrade pre-programmed so that they can wear it right away? This complimentary service is called Ready-to-Wear (RTW). Read on to review the FAQs regarding this service.

What is Ready-to-Wear?

  • Ready-to-Wear is a free of charge service provided by Cochlear. Before your patient’s sound processor upgrade ships from Cochlear, our Hear Always Team can pre-load their current programs onto the device so that it can be worn as soon as it arrives in the mail.

Why would I encourage eligible patients to choose Ready-to-Wear?

  • Ready-to-Wear allows your patients to use their new sound processor right out of the box.
  • Ready-to-Wear saves you time in the clinic by not having to schedule a follow-up appointment to program the processor.

How does Cochlear load my patient’s MAPs to their new sound processor?

  • The most efficient option is by using Cochlear Link, our secure cloud-based service which connects the clinic and Cochlear’s Hear Always program, allowing instant access to a patient’s most recent MAP for servicing or upgrading with RTW.
  • You can check to see if your clinic is already enrolled in Cochlear Link here.
  • For more information or to enroll in Cochlear Link, please contact CochlearLink@cochlear.com

How can my patients choose Ready-to-Wear?

  • Your patients can choose Ready-to-Wear when they place an upgrade order for a Cochlear Nucleus or Kanso Sound Processor. 
  • They have multiple options on how to place an upgrade order, including but not limited to: using Cochlearstore.com, scheduling a virtual appointment with a Cochlear upgrade specialist, through you, or by calling Cochlear at 800-523-5798.
  • No matter where they place their order for a sound processor upgrade, the option is available to choose Ready-to-Wear.

Are there any scenarios where my patient should still schedule an appointment to see me after receiving their RTW processor?

Yes, and below is the guidance provided to patients on a card within their sound processor upgrade box:

Please encourage your patients to consider Ready-to-Wear when placing an order for a Cochlear Nucleus or Kanso Sound Processor upgrade. For additional information regarding eligibility, check out our Hear and Now blog. 

* Ready-to-Wear is available to recipients age 5 or older. The Ready-to-Wear service is not available for hybrid externals and certain implant types. For bimodal recipients with a compatible ReSound hearing aid to take advantage of smart bimodal streaming, they will need to visit their clinician to have the hearing aid and sound processor re-linked.

ReSound is a trademark of GN Hearing A/S

For compatibility information and devices, visit cochlear.com/compatibility and resound.com/compatibility.

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Cochlear Link connection

June 1, 2020

Interview with Mila Duke, AuD

Manager of Audiology Employee & Student Development at Hearts for Hearing

What initially drew you to field of audiology?

I have always had to desire to work in medicine and/or with children. I was initially introduced to this field by my aunt who is a speech-language pathologist and thought it would be a nice combination of my interests. As with most audiologists, after taking my first introduction to audiology course as an undergraduate, I quickly discovered that audiology would be my calling instead. The rest is history!

What Cochlear resources or services do you and your patients find most helpful during their cochlear implant journey?

Many patients who are either just starting their cochlear implant journey or have been implanted for a while thrive by talking with other recipients about their experiences. Some ways patients can do this is through engaging in the Cochlear volunteer program, attending Cochlear Celebration or attending local Hearing Loss Association of America meetings. We feel that the patients who are most successful with their cochlear implants have a strong working knowledge of their technology and realistic expectations. Further, I offer any resources or services that I feel will best educate my patients.

How has the current global environment changed the way you deliver care? How will telehealth change the clinical care landscape?

We live in an area where patients typically drive on average an hour each way to our clinic. Telehealth will provide us the ability to serve patients who may not have the resources to make the trip to see us before, during and after this global pandemic. Many of our older and/or immunocompromised patients may be nervous to return for needed programming, and telehealth will provide us with an opportunity to help serve these patients.

How has Cochlear provided remote support to you and your patients during this time?

During the COVID pandemic, we have been able to request new equipment for patients using the myCochlear Clinic professional portal. With Cochlear Link, there is hardly any delay sending the processor(s) to the patients’ homes. We have also watched many professionally-based online webinars that have provided wonderful learning experiences while working remotely. 

How long has your clinic utilized Cochlear Link?

We were fortunate to be a part of the pilot program and started using Cochlear Link in 2015.

What are the benefits of Cochlear Link?

Cochlear Link has been critical in our efforts to provide the best care for our patients. Our clinic has grown extensively in the last few years which has led to an even greater need for a program like Cochlear Link. It has also saved our clinic precious resources by cutting down on the time needed to upload MAPs, register processors, etc.

How has Cochlear Link saved time?

In the second year using Cochlear link, we saved approximately 260 clinic hours and reinvested this time with our patients. This is huge and the number has only grown as we’ve added more audiologists and patients to the clinic.

Does it allow you to see more patients?

Absolutely. Audiologists and audiology assistants can now spend more time counseling and educating patients on cochlear implant equipment, which as I mentioned previously, is one of the factors that we feel helps patients succeed.

For more information, subscribe to Cochlear ProNews.

About the author:

Dr. Mila Duke is an audiologist at Hearts for Hearing in Oklahoma City, OK. Dr. Duke received both her Bachelor’s degrees in Speech and Hearing Science and her Doctorate of Audiology (Au.D.) at the University of North Texas. Dr. Duke completed her externship at Hearts for Hearing where upon graduation, she joined the team full time in 2013. At Hearts for Hearing, Dr. Duke sees a variety of clinical patients including adult and pediatric evaluations, hearing aids and cochlear implants. Dr. Duke serves as a coordinator for audiology students who complete clinical rotations at Hearts for Hearing.

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