Kristia D. has worked for the City of Berlin, New Hampshire for 15 years. As a senior collections clerk, she interacts with hundreds of customers on a busy day. In 2012, Kris underwent surgery for a bone conduction implant on the left side, where she lost hearing as a young woman. For six years, she wore the Cochlear™ Baha® 3 Sound Processor—her first and only sound processor—until recently.
“It had done a good job. But it was starting to get tired. It had a lot of deterioration on the top of the exterior and the microphones didn’t seem to work as well. I wasn’t getting the full benefit anymore,” said Kris.
When her Baha 3 Sound Processor hit five years old, Kris became eligible for a replacement processor and began researching her options with Cochlear. “I didn’t think twice, except for getting insurance coverage. I figured, when you go through the hassle and expense of getting an implant, you should put something on it,” she said. “But if it was all coming out of my own pocket, I would have to think harder.”
Cochlear™ Baha® 5 Sound Processor is delivered just in time
Kris saw an ENT when her sound processor was well past 5 years of age. Since her ENT hadn’t negotiated on behalf of many implant recipients, Kris relied on a Cochlear Reimbursement and Insurance specialist to work with her insurance company. When insurance company approval lagged and her year-end benefits were close to expiring, Kris assumed she’d have to wait another year to replace the sound processor. “But Cochlear dug in and a week or two later, Cochlear said they’d worked it out with my insurance company and the sound processor would be delivered to my ENT for programming in December.”
When her ENT programmed the device, Kris said, “I noticed an immediate difference with the Cochlear™ Baha® 5 Sound Processor. I couldn’t say that I had directional hearing with the Baha 3 Sound Processor. But as soon as the Baha 5 Sound Processor was programmed I could tell sound was coming from my left side. I can program it to decrease background noise too—so I can wear it when I’m shopping or outdoors in wind noise. It’s so much easier in the office too,” said Kris. “I can communicate with customers better.”
Kris makes robust use of the Baha 5 Remote Control. “I use the mute function to prevent feedback when I’m putting the sound processor on, and to manage all the settings. It’s so much easier than trying to find tiny buttons on the processor,” she said. Kris also prefers the ease of battery installation on the Baha 5 Sound Processor.
Baha 5 Sound Processor wearer says, “Go for it!”
“I encourage people to step up to better sound quality, it’s definitely worth the investment. It’s made a huge difference for me,” said Kris. “The newer model is easier, the battery is a little bigger and easier to manipulate, and the remote is perfect because I don’t have to fiddle with the processor to turn it on and off and move between programs.”
In closing, Kris said, “Cochlear went out of their way to help me. I just let them handle the insurance details—and they were phenomenal.”
Find out how Cochlear’s Reimbursement and Insurance Services team can help you step into a next generation sound processor. Call us at 800-805-3537.
