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Amptify Unveils Digital Therapeutic For Hearing Loss

Today, Amptify unveiled a novel digital therapeutic product for hearing loss - Amptify DTx.

Amptify is groundbreaking in what it offers to those seeking hearing loss solutions for their patients or managed care populations. Currently, hearing loss treatment consists of diagnostics and hearing aid distribution with little or no hearing loss therapy, support, or counseling -- all of which are clinical best practice. The Amptify DTx 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 DTx participants experience a merging of digital health and aural rehabilitation that supplements their hearing instrument and produces an innovative, scientifically-backed, and patient-proven therapy for hearing loss. Participants access Amptify by downloading the iOS or Android apps which include clinically validated auditory and cognitive training video games shown to develop speech perception skills, increase listening confidence, and enhance conversational fluency. They also access interactive hearing health lessons, a managed peer-support community, and a Amptify Hearing Health Coach who provides one-on-one support and encouragement. Coaches track participants weekly training and curriculum progress to provide personalized assistance and guidance on how to improve and reach their individual 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 treating their hearing loss.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 If people treat hearing loss earlier they may reduce their risk of adverse consequences including dementia progression.6,7

Professor Nancy Tye-Murray, Amptify Co-founder and CEO, is a prolific researcher and strong proponent of incorporating aural rehabilitation into routine audiology practice. She says, "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” added Amptify President and COO Chris Cardinal. 

 

  1.     National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders (2020). Age-related hearing loss. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/age-related-hearing-loss#1.  Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  2.     Hudomiet, P., Hurd, M. D., & Rohwedder, S. (2018). Measuring Probability Numeracy. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.
  3.     Deal, J. A., Betz, J., Yaffe, K., Harris, T., Purchase-Helzner, E., Satterfield, S., ... & Health ABC Study Group. (2017). Hearing impairment and incident dementia and cognitive decline in older adults: The health ABC study. Journal of Gerontology Series A: Biomedical Sciences and Medical Sciences, 72(5), 703-709.
  4.     Kochkin, S. (2009). MarkeTrak VIII: 25-year trends in the hearing health market. Hearing Review, 16(11), 12-31
  5.     Golub, J. S., Brickman, A. M., Ciarleglio, A. J., Schupf, N., & Luchsinger, J. A. (2020). Association of subclinical hearing loss with cognitive performance. JAMA: Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, 146(1), 57-67.
  6.     Galvin, J. E. (2017). Prevention of Alzheimer's disease: Lessons learned and applied. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 65(10), 2128-2133.
  7.     Mahmoudi, E., Basu, T., Langa, K., McKee, M. M., Zazove, P., Alexander, N., & Kamdar, N. (2019). Can hearing aids delay time to diagnosis of dementia, depression, or falls in older adults?. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 67(11), 2362-2369.

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