The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) in collaboration with the Independent Audiologists Australia (IAA) and the Independent Audiologists New Zealand (IANZ) will welcome audiologists, students, industry partners, and thought leaders from virtually everywhere on October 16-17, 2020 for AuDacity Forge Ahead and Forge Ahead Down Under (where you can learn about ears, network with peers, buy gear, enhance your career--and bring your own beer). Register by September 8th to get an AuDacity conference kit (while supplies last).

Friday’s agenda features fast-paced keynote and panel sessions, along with plenty of opportunities to network in the exhibit hall. View the preliminary agenda (all times listed Eastern Time USA). Conference activities will run for 21 consecutive hours—covering time zones across the globe! After a brief hiatus, AuDacity’s educational program will start up again on Saturday with innovative workshops including the following sessions:

• Cochlear Implant Remote Programming, Ginger Grant, Au.D.
• Hearing Aid Remote Programming and Telehealth Issues, Multiple Presenters
• Ethical Considerations for Audiologists, Michael Page, Au.D.
• Third-Party Administrators and Market Differentiation, Kim Cavitt, Au.D.
• Performance Indicators and Profitability in Private Practice, Multiple Presenters
• Amplify Your Impact: Personal Styles and Learning to Listen, David Citron, III, Ph.D., Victor Bray, Ph.D., and Robert Traynor Ed.D., MBA.
• Student Track

Stay tuned – more details to follow. Your AuDacity registration fee gives you access to all the action.

As the overall consumer culture has shifted to a self-service model over the last several years, no industry has remained untouched — and that includes hearing healthcare. In the last several months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, that trend has only accelerated. In this informative brief, Making the case: Audiologists can benefit from embracing self-service hearing healthcare, Hamilton® CapTel® explores the hearing healthcare self-service trend, including:

• Online hearing self-assessment tools and their widespread adoption
• Online hearing loss simulators
• Online availability of hearing assistive devices
• A self-service checklist for hearing healthcare professionals

GET THE BRIEF

If your state association has cancelled its 2020 or 2021 conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and you are seeking a cost-effective way to provide your members with a spectacular virtual conference experience, ADA can help.

1. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 866-493-5544 to set up your organization-specific discount code.
2. Send the AuDacity discount code to your members and VIPs.
3. Your members can use the discount code to receive the special ADA member rate for AuDacity
4. Your association will receive a $50 rebate for every eligible attendee that registers for AuDacity using your organization’s unique discount code*.

ADA will be pleased to provide participating state associations with a designated virtual meeting space to hold member business meetings or board meetings during the AuDacity conference, if needed.

*Eligible attendees include attendees who are not already ADA members.

Grounded in empathy and propelled by optimism, design thinking principles encourage active listening, intense observation, and the capacity to create and fail frequently and repetitively, to improve the experience and outcomes for patients.

Join your colleagues at AuDacity 2020 on October 16th, for insightful panel sessions that will build upon design thinking concepts described by keynote presenter, Dr. Bon Ku, and lead us on a journey to integrate design thinking with evidence-based practice.

On June 24, 2020, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) became the ninth U.S. Senator to co-sponsor the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act (MAASA), S. 2446. Collins serves as Chair of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, which heard testimony earlier this month on combating social isolation among older adults in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Included in the testimony was a February report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), Social Isolation and Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System. The report outlined many factors that contribute to social isolation among older adults, including the association between hearing loss and social isolation. The report also stated that “remediation of hearing loss has been found to reduce loneliness and improve social functioning.”