Question
What are some time saving tips for streamlining work processes?
Answer
Melissa Lebon, AuD: New integrated technology in the Aurical® ensures a proper fit and reduces remakes and returns. For instance, patients are less likely to return a properly fitted hearing aid. New integrated verification tools offered by Aurical (including IMC, or Inter Modular communication) allow you to provide a verified “match to target” fitting directly from your hearing instrument programing software.
And, if you have a tool like Otoscan, you can reduce remakes and returns by making sure your custom-fit products fit from the start.
Keeley Moore, MA: Take advantage of new advances in hearing care and automate as many processes as possible. There are new developments in our industry that can transform the way you provide hearing care. The arrival of PC-based diagnostic and fitting equipment like those operated with Otosuite® integrate easily into Noah (or into your EMR or Office Management System), eliminating the need for manual data entry or scanning of results.
Don Kim, AuD: Before joining the corporate world, I owned and managed my own practice. So thinking outside-the-box… what if you can enable assistants to perform routine tasks that do not necessarily equate to revenue generating activities? Practice owners can consider hiring an assistant – or training a current employee – to help with time-consuming tasks that don’t require a clinician’s level of expertise or take you away from patient care.
For example, an assistant can handle the manual processes, logistics and paperwork associated with sending in hearing aid or earmold orders, cleaning hearing aids and replacing receivers instead of sending hearing aids out for repair or requiring your valuable time. Consider setting up a walk-in repair clinic.
With the time saved, you are now able to schedule more appointments, spend more time counseling or help more patients.
Otoscan provides a depth gauge for the scanner to use as a reference point for how deep they wish to scan. The Target Depth Gauge incorporates data on the average male and female ear canal lengths in addition to the recommended depth of scans and earmold impressions from hearing instrument manufacturers. Just imagine the reduced liability if we could eliminate the dangerous instances of accidentally injecting earmold impression material past the Otoblock and potentially onto the tympanic membrane. With this potentially reduced liability, organizations could then consider a more efficient staffing strategy that could incorporate technicians and assistants in the ear scanning process.
This Ask the Expert is an excerpt from the interview, Rethink Audiology: Delivering Personalized Care In the Age of Over-the-Counter Solutions.
