Question
How do I know if a patient is right for teleaudiology through Phonak Remote Support?
Answer
Any patient meeting technical requirements for Remote Support may be considered as a candidate for this technology. In the past, hearing care providers may have only considered their more tech-savvy patients for Remote Support. However, due to current social distancing requirements, many hearing care providers are exploring new ways of providing hearing care to their patients, including those less comfortable with technology.
The use of telehealth, or eSolutions, continues to rise. With Phonak Remote Support, there’s no in-office appointment needed. You can connect to your patients in real-time, with both audio and video, adjust their hearing aids, and optimize your patients’ hearing aids to support their needs. For patients who are less comfortable operating smartphones and apps, consider including family members (and their devices) to facilitate a Remote Support appointment. In addition, all hearing care providers with a Phonak eServices/PhonakPro login are now automatically enabled to invite patients to Remote Support Sessions.
More than ever, your patients are relying on their hearing health to stay connected – hearing their families and medical professionals, talking on the phone, listening to news and television, etc. Many of your patients may be looking for hearing solutions, and they would be interested in Remote Support.
A patient who currently wears Phonak Marvel™ or Audéo B™ Direct hearing aids and who has access to a smartphone or tablet (their own or a family member’s) would be able to participate in a Remote Support session using the myPhonak app. You or your front office can reach out through an initial phone call to see how they are doing and then offer support through Phonak Remote Support.
Even though some research and practical experience may still be required, it has already been widely demonstrated that eAudiology works well and offers some definite advantages1. It will never completely replace in-person patient care — but that is not the intention. It may not be suitable for every patient, but it can open opportunities for hearing care professionals to reach patients and offer services that they may not have been able to before.
This not only applies to rural areas where patients can avoid the inconvenience of travelling long distances, but also to urban areas. eAudiology allows a simpler, more efficient, customized provision of hearing healthcare, removing many of the barriers patients face that keep them from treating their hearing loss.
Click here to learn more about Phonak eSolutions and Remote Support.
