HIMSA Member Spotlight
Healthcare Technologies and Methods (HTM)
Hearing instruments can be a game changer for patients experiencing hearing loss. However, without proper patient education, reinforcement and support, more than one out of every six hearing aids end up being returned for credit or relegated to the drawer.
That’s why Alan and Stephanie Letzt founded Healthcare Technologies and Methods (HTM) (www.HealthcareTM.com) and developed Maudey, a virtual hearing aid assistant for improved patient-centered care.
The National Institute on Aging was impressed, and awarded $4M in research/commercialization grants to develop, clinically test and commercialize the Maudey platform.
“HTM is dedicated to helping both older adults and younger adults who are not technology-savvy succeed with their hearing aid journey,” said Alan Letzt, CEO of HTM. “We designed Maudey to be easier than watching TV, so patients can achieve the best possible outcomes and satisfaction while reducing the support burden for hearing care providers.”
Maudey has shown statistically significant improvement of patients’ scores on the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE). And Maudey’s unique, easy-to-use technology has earned three patent awards and a Hearing Technology Innovator Award.
What is Maudey?
Maudey is an integrated, cloud-based system that reinforces the provider’s patient education on hearing aid use, care and troubleshooting. The user-friendly platform can be viewed on the patient’s tablet, laptop, home TV or mobile device.
What’s more, Maudey also helps educate family members, set realistic patient expectations, reduce patient frustration, and facilitate supply ordering and video consultations.
Maudey benefits hearing care providers in many ways, including generating detailed real-time reports on the patient’s journey that facilitate proactive counseling. Maudey enables providers to access reports for patients with all brands of hearing aids on one consolidated website. From the outset, Maudey has been designed to complement the apps provided by the hearing aid manufacturers.
Partnering with Hearing Care Providers
HTM provides Maudey to hearing aid manufacturers, audiology practice chains, private audiology practices and medical practices. These hearing care businesses then enroll their patients in Maudey and use the included provider website to track patients’ progress and requests and to enhance their in-person or video counseling.
Maudey takes some of the burden away from providers by empowering their patients and reducing the frequency of unscheduled appointments while increasing patient satisfaction.
HTM also offers fully de-identified data to hearing aid manufacturers, in compliance with HIPAA, to assist them with their research and design initiatives.
The Next Step: Noah Integration
For HTM, Noah integration is the next important step for the Maudey platform.
“We wish to further enhance the value of Maudey by establishing an interface between Noah and Maudey,” said Letzt. “This interface will benefit hearing care providers by streamlining the patient enrollment, data access and counseling processes.”
Just as important for HTM, Noah integration will allow them to develop closer professional bonds with and insights into the visions of the hearing aid manufacturers and other hearing care industry leaders who share their dedication to improved hearing care.
Coming very soon to Noah
Looking forward to seeing Maudey in Noah?
You won’t need to wait long.
“We are in the process of installing an interface between Noah and Maudey that will be completed and quality-tested in time for our official commercial launch in the USA on May 22nd 2023,” stated Letzt.