Hearing Aids Sound Better at Johnson Audiology

When it comes to best practices, the audiologists at Johnson Audiology want to ensure that they are providing exceptional hearing health care to every person that walks through their door.

Thanks to the new Verifit 2 fitting system by Audioscan, our patients have confirmation that they are getting the best sound from their hearing aids for their unique ear shape and size, hearing loss, and lifestyle.

"Some patients struggle to communicate to the audiologist exactly how the hearing aids are performing," explained
Dr. Courtney Guthrie. "The Verifit eliminates the guesswork, so our audiologists can make adjustments without
trying to interpret the patient's perception of the amplified sound."

The two key features of this new technology center on verification and validation, according to Dr. Johnson. Verification is the process by which the audiologists can test hearing aids while in the patient's ears to
determine their level of effectiveness, while validation is the process of the patient knowing their needs are being
met.

"Both of these processes are crucial to what we do," said Dr. Susan Porter. "The aided targets provided by each hearing aid manufacturer, shown in the fitting software, are based on an average ear response. As everyone has different ear canal shapes, the hearing aid may be over or under amplifying in one or more areas. We
don't know how much sound is delivered to the patient's eardrum until we verify it with this new equipment."

Through the use of the Verifit 2, this local team of audiologists can adjust and reprogram hearing aids with unmatched accuracy. The Verifit 2 has binaural testing capability to evaluate hearing aids that wirelessly communicate with each other. The majority of people with hearing loss should wear two hearing aids. Hearing aids can exchange signals and control information, functioning as a binaural system. In addition, the Verifit 2 system can
test directionality, noise reduction, feedback management, and low frequency compression.

It should be noted that the Verifit 2 is the only binaural test box allowing audiologists to test and compare two different hearing instruments simultaneously. Doctors at Johnson Audiology can evaluate that the devices are performing up to the manufacturer's specifications.

Dr. Porter explains that anyone who has already purchased hearing aids can still benefit from verification measures. Often times, our doctors can adjust your current hearing aids in conjunction to our verification measures.

As technology with hearing aids continues to improve, the industry standard for hearing aid fittings encourage real
ear measures. Still, surveys suggest that only about 20% of audiologists and hearing aid dispensers verify their fittings. "Real ear verification measures should be required for hearing aid fittings," Dr. Johnson said. "At this practice, verification measures are essential for overall patient satisfaction in the developing world of hearing technology."

Dr. Guthrie noted that while some hearing aid manufacturers have real ear measurements within their own
fitting software, it's still important to have a separate measurement from a system like the Verifit to be sure patients are getting the most benefit and the right results from their hearing aids.

"At Johnson Audiology, we complete the initial fitting (instruct patients on use/care, practice insertion/removal, and program hearing aids according to patient experience), and then at the follow-up visit we run real ear measurements to make sure everything is as it should be for them," said Dr. Johnson. "We are excited
that this is part of our protocol now."