Hearing News and Research

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New information on how best to teach children with hearing loss

Two to three in every 1,000 children are born with a hearing loss that is likely to impact development. Research of the auditory system at its early developmental stages, and efforts to identify hearing loss and initiate appropriate rehabilitation strategies, can be crucial to the healthy development of a child.

18 Mar 2011

Roundup: Cuts in Calif. programs; Ga. seeks federal MLR waiver; N.J. lawmakers try to restore some health funding

State lawmakers Wednesday approved billions of dollars in cuts to welfare, medical programs for the poor and in-home care for the elderly and frail, among other services, moving forward key pieces of Gov. Jerry Brown's budget reduction package.

18 Mar 2011

First Edition: March 17, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about a new GAO report showing success in health insurer appeals and a decision by Blue Shield of California to retreat from proposed rate increases.

17 Mar 2011

Research on electrophysiological assessment of hearing in patients with acoustic neuromas

Manuel Don, Ph.D., is a principal investigator in the Division of Communication and Auditory Neuroscience at the House Ear Institute. Dr. Don joined the House Ear Institute in 1976 after working as an assistant research auditory physiologist at the University of California, Irvine.

17 Mar 2011

MedPAC recommends patients help pay home health care costs

The advisory panel also urged that payments for physicians and hospitals be increased and that the home health care payment formula be reworked. In related news, a Ways & Means subcommittee hearing on Medicare payment issues quickly turned into an exploration of a GOP proposal to replace the program's current structure with a voucher system.

17 Mar 2011

Electric devices can improve aging skin

It may seem as if new developments to combat aging skin are being introduced faster than the speed of light. At the forefront of the research, dermatologists are underpinning these advancements, refining the basic understanding of how the skin ages in order to develop more effective non-invasive cosmetic procedures and products.

16 Mar 2011

It's the health law's birthday and not everyone is celebrating

The health overhaul's first anniversary — just about a week away — is already being marked on Capitol Hill with a number of hearings and other events related to exploring, complimenting and criticizing the law's implementation.

16 Mar 2011

Sonova expects sales of around CHF 1,600 million for the current business year 2010/11

Sonova Holding AG, the world's leading provider of hearing systems, is announcing today that the Group is expecting sales of around CHF 1,600 million and an EBITA margin of 20-21% for 2010/11, barring any unforeseen events.

16 Mar 2011

Waivers continue to be flashpoints in health overhaul's implementation

More than 1,040 waiver requests have been approved so far by the Department of Health and Human Services regarding so-called "mini-med" plans. But the perplexing question appears to be how HHS will handle the requests in 2012 and 2013, before a major provision of the health law takes effect. In addition, anticipation continues to mount in regard to the upcoming release of ACO regs.

14 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: Sebelius, Harkin, Wyden, King, Altman, Butler weigh in on health reform law

Early signs show that, after years of decline, the number of small businesses offering coverage to employees is increasing. Perhaps less widely recognized, but no less significant, has been the way the law is demanding transparency and accountability from the insurance industry to bring down premiums.

14 Mar 2011

FY12 State Department funding request cannot be fulfilled, House Foreign Ops committee chair says

It "will not be possible" to meet the funding request for the State Department in President Barack Obama's FY12 budget proposal, Rep. Kay Granger, chair of the House State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee, said at a hearing on Thursday, CQ reports.

14 Mar 2011

Several Republican members of Congress urge Obama administration to deny North Korean food aid request

Several Republican lawmakers said Thursday that the Obama administration should "deny North Korea's request for food aid" because of concerns that it would support Kim Jong-Il's regime, Agence France-Presse reports.

14 Mar 2011

Home genetic tests need medical supervision: Expert panel

According to an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, genetic tests sold directly to consumers that might help to predict health risks may need to be supplied through doctors. An official, Alberto Gutierrez, director of the FDA office that regulates diagnostic screening tools reported that the Molecular and Clinical Genetics Advisory Panel concluded two days of hearings on the increasingly popular tests and had come to this resolution.

14 Mar 2011

Sonitus Medical's SoundBite Hearing System receives CE Mark certification

Sonitus Medical, Inc., a medical device company that manufactures the world's first non-surgical and removable hearing prosthetic to transmit sound via the teeth, today announced that it has received CE Mark certification for its SoundBite Hearing System. The company has received its EC Certificate, which indicates Full Quality Assurance System Approval. This is the first European regulatory certification for the company and the product.

11 Mar 2011

House bill introduced to allow individuals to apply for health law waivers

The measure, introduced by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., would allow consumers the same exemption process being exercised by some employers and unions. Meanwhile, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has raised questions about waivers granted to "mini-med" plans.

11 Mar 2011

Defunding strategy takes aim at health law's mandatory spending provisions

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing yesterday to begin the process of marking up legislation to remove certain parts of health law funding.

11 Mar 2011

New technologies open unique avenues to bone conduction hearing aids

Three decades after the introduction of the first bone-anchored hearing aids, the available systems have improved significantly and the field is expanding faster than ever.

10 Mar 2011

House Foreign Affairs Committee hears testimony on security, human rights, health in Democratic Republic of Congo

At a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on Tuesday, Ben Affleck, the actor, writer and director, and "other witnesses urged the Obama administration to immediately appoint a special envoy" for the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is due for a national election in November, CNN reports.

10 Mar 2011

PQC: Americans express rising concern about hospital acquired infections

Despite significant advances made during the last several years, most Americans view the care delivered in America today as merely adequate - with 20 percent rating care as poor compared to only 8 percent who rated care as excellent. Americans expressed rising concern about hospital acquired infections, sepsis and other preventable conditions, according to new research released today by the Partnership for Quality Care.

10 Mar 2011

Study: High volume music players can cause neurophysiological changes

Growing numbers of people enjoy listening to music on portable music players or cell phones, and many tend to turn up the volume, especially in noisy surroundings. In a study published March 2, 2011 in the open-access journal PLoS ONE, researchers explore the potential effects of this behavior on hearing.

10 Mar 2011