ClEAR, a company that develops products for individuals with hearing loss, announced the launch of its “category-defining digital therapeutic for hearing loss that enables organizations to offer comprehensive, evidence-based hearing healthcare to their populations,” called Amptify.
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Currently, hearing loss treatment consists of diagnostics and hearing aid distribution with little or no follow-up hearing loss therapy, support, or counseling—all of which are clinical best practice, according to Amptify. The company was created by audiologists, academics, and technologists to provide “an innovative pathway for hearing healthcare professionals and managed care organizations to offer best practice hearing loss treatment in a way that is clinically feasible.”
Amptify participants “experience a merging of digital health and aural rehabilitation that supplements their hearing instruments and produces a scientifically-backed and patient-proven therapy for hearing loss,” according to the company. Sponsored participants can access Amptify by downloading the iOS or Android apps, which include clinically validated auditory and cognitive training video games. These games have been shown to develop speech perception skills, increase listening confidence, and enhance conversational fluency, the company says.
Amptify participants also gain access to interactive hearing health lessons, a managed peer-support community, and a certified Amptify Hearing Health Coach. Coaches provide one-on-one support and encouragement, track participants’ weekly training and curriculum progress, and provide personalized assistance and guidance on how to improve and reach each participant’s hearing goals.
In the United States, one in three people over the age of 65 has hearing loss.1,2 Unfortunately, people who suspect hearing loss wait about 7 years before seeking treatment.4,5 As a result, they increase their risks for experiencing adverse social, medical, and vocational consequences. Untreated hearing loss can lead to social isolation, depression, early retirement, and cognitive decline.3 Those with untreated mild hearing loss have a higher probability of suffering Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias than those without hearing loss.4,5 Correspondingly, healthcare costs are 46% higher for those with untreated hearing loss.6 If people receive treatment earlier, they may reduce their risk of adverse consequences including dementia progression.7,8
Professor Nancy Tye-Murray, clEAR Co-founder and CEO, is a researcher and strong proponent of incorporating aural rehabilitation into routine audiology practice. She said, “I’ve spent my entire professional career making it possible for clinicians to provide quality aural rehabilitation in a way that is both economically and practically feasible. Amptify completes the hearing healthcare journey—after diagnostics and the hearing aid fitting, clinicians can now efficiently and easily provide aural rehabilitation with Amptify. And, people can get the complete hearing therapy they deserve.”
Amptify targets three customer bases—enterprise clinical hearing care providers, employers who want to improve their employees’ hearing health, and hearing aid manufacturers who wish to incentivize purchases and adherence to their hearing aids. Amptify’s pricing varies based upon feature set and population size. For organizations sponsoring 100 participants, plans start at $49 per participant per month.
“The field of audiology is rapidly changing in line with movements in the greater digital and telehealth industries. Due to regulatory, technological, and demographic alignments, the hearing healthcare space is ripe with opportunities to improve patient care with digital health tools. Amptify is well positioned to realize great growth based on these trends,” said clEAR President and COO Chris Cardinal.
For detailed information on Amptify, including its clinical research, contact Chris Cardinal and visit: https://Amptify.com.
References
1. National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders (NIDCD) website. Age-related hearing loss. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/age-related-hearing-loss#1. Published July 17, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
2. RAND Corporation. Hudomiet P, Hurd MD, Rohwedder S. Measuring probability numeracy. 2018;1-46.
3. Deal JA, Betz J, Yaffe K, et al. Hearing impairment and incident dementia and cognitive decline in older adults: The Health ABC Study. Journal of Gerontology Series A. 2017;72(5):703-709.
4. Kochkin S. MarkeTrak VIII: 25-year trends in the hearing health market. Hearing Review. 2009;16(11):12-31
5. Golub JS, Brickman AM, Ciarleglio AJ, Schupf N, Luchsinger JA. Association of subclinical hearing loss with cognitive performance. JAMA: Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. 2020;146(1):57-67.
6. Reed NS, Altan A, Deal JA, et al. Trends in health care costs and utilization associated with untreated hearing loss over 10 years. JAMA: Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. 2019;145(1):27-34.
7. Galvin JE. Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease: Lessons learned and applied. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2017;65(10): 2128-2133.
8. Mahmoudi E, Basu T, Langa K, et al. Can hearing aids delay time to diagnosis of dementia, depression, or falls in older adults?Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 2019;67(11):2362-2369.
Source: clEAR, Amptify
