NOAH Sales Surpass 13,000 Copies Worldwide

The Hearing Instrument Manufacturers' Software Association (HIMSA) is pleased to announce that as of March 1, 1999, sales of NOAH, the defacto-standard integration software for the hearing care industry, have surpassed the 13,000-copy milestone. Sales in HIMSA's largest market, the U.S., have also reached a milestone of over 7,000 copies.

"These sales figures testify to NOAH's acceptance as a defacto standard throughout the hearing care industry," said Pete Ketchum, President of HIMSA's U.S. subsidiary. "In the four and a half years since its introduction, NOAH is now used by over 70 percent of hearing care professionals in North America and Europe. And sales are also expanding in other key markets including Japan and Australia."

The NOAH software system was specifically designed to provide hearing care professionals with a unified system for performing their client-related tasks.

The heart of NOAH is its "integration framework", supported by over 60 hearing care companies worldwide. Within this framework, a user can evaluate a client's hearing loss using measurement tools from one of several suppliers. These data can then be used by fitting systems from other suppliers. NOAH can also record journal notes. And all information can be automatically stored, either in the NOAH common database or in a NOAH-compatible office management system.

"HIMSA has provided our industry with a unique approach to developing computing standards and the benefits of this approach are now apparent," said Ketchum. "Industry suppliers are able to develop new, innovative software products that can be integrated with software from other suppliers. And hearing care professionals can easily add these new modules to their computer systems whenever they choose. Most other industries are still struggling to find a way to achieve this sort of interoperability and cooperation among suppliers."

For a complete list of NOAH sales figures and other NOAH information, visit the HIMSA homepage at www.himsa.com.