HIMSA lays the groundwork for new NOAH 3 technologies in 2006
Year 2005 was highlighted by the long-waited release of the NOAH electronic ordering feature, eTONA.
"eTONA was released in version 3.5 of our software last June," stated Niels Munksgaard, Managing Director of HIMSA. "Hearing instrument vendors are now starting a gradual shift over to electronic ordering of hearing instruments."
Reports from the field show that the rigorous eTONA development process has paid off. eTONA users report very few problems when placing their orders directly over the Internet.
HIMSA has used this experience to continue evolving NOAH System and meet the challenges of next generation technology.
Next Step: A Better Database
HIMSA is now investing resources in updating the database in NOAH System to cope with the future demands of electronic hearing care.
"In version 3.6, new technology will allow us to double the size of the NOAH database to 2 gigabytes," states Munksgaard. "This will provide users with the extra space needed for storing ever increasing amounts of patient data, from audiograms to electronic orders."
Perhaps just as important, the new version will provide NOAH 3 power users with an upgrade path for their database. A Microsoft SQL database, purchased separately from a Microsoft distributor, can be connected to NOAH System, providing unlimited data storage for large shops with thousands of clients.
Together with our member companies, HIMSA will carefully test the new database, as well as new networking technology, to help make the upgrade to 3.6 as smooth as possible.
HIMSA plans to release the final version 3.6 in the 3rd quarter of 2006, and the upgrade will be free to registered users of NOAH System 3.
Last Piece of the Ordering Puzzle
Many visitors to last year's major trade shows got a view of ear impression scanners for the first time. With ear impression scanners, a hearing care professional can scan their client's ear impression and store the information electronically on the computer.
For version 3.6, HIMSA has finalized standards for ear impression scans, so that scan data can be stored directly in the NOAH database. The ear
impression can then be attached to a hearing instrument order and sent electronically over the Internet, using eTONA functionality.
It is expected that electronic ear impression scans and electronic ordering can speed up orders by two to three days, allowing patients to receive their new hearing instruments more quickly.
New Adapter for NOAHlink
Last October, NOAHlink began shipping with its own Bluetooth adapter from Ezurio. The Ezurio adapter was thoroughly tested and integrated into the NOAHlink installation.
And in 2006, new NOAHlink users have already begun reaping the benefits.
"The quality of Bluetooth adapters can vary widely, and this has been a huge problem for fi rst time users of NOAHlink," stated Jacob Schramm, Support and QA Manager for HIMSA. "After including the Ezurio adapter with NOAHlink, the number of reported NOAHlink installation and connection problems for new users has fallen noticably in the last few months."
2006: The Evolution Continues
"A key mission of HIMSA is the continued evolution of NOAH System to meet the present and future needs of hearing care professionals," stated Munksgaard.
For NOAHlink, this means support for new fi tting software functionality and features, as well as additional confi guration options.
For NOAH System 3, this means optimizing the software with current technology upgrades, while enhancing the software to better meet the needs of hearing care professionals.
With this in mind, HIMSA plans to post a short web-based survey in the coming months to help us better defi ne the functionality for future versions of NOAH 3. If you are interested in participating, please send us an e-mail to himsa@himsa.com, and we will send you a notice when the survey is posted.
