AudiologyOnline.com Editor, Carolyn Smaka, recently interviewed ReSound about the new invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) device that is available as part of the ReSound Verso product line.
Why did ReSound decide to create an IIC?
“We made the decision to pursue this part of the market and enter the IIC category after a lot of research and time spent with our customers,” said Brian Tsuchiya, Vice President of Operations. “ReSound regularly works closely with customers, we interview them, send them surveys and work to continuously get an understanding of their likes and dislikes and their unmet needs. When it came to innovating in the custom instrument area and developing an IIC, we wanted to be certain we understood what customers need from an IIC device. We did a lot of homework before we started down this path.”
What is the candidacy rate for the Verso IIC?
“In the field study we conducted prior to launch, we took a sample of 250 subjects and found that 96% were candidates for Verso,” said Vince Maye, Director of Custom Operations. “We are very pleased with this rate.”
How did you accomplish such a high fit rate?
“One of our goals in introducing the IIC was to offer a product that could fit more patients than comparable products on the market,” said Jennifer Carlson, Commercial Product Manager. “What we heard was that these really could only fit a small number of patients who were interested in them. We also believed that ease of impression taking was important to both the patient and the dispenser. Those factors were critical in how we looked at the success of this product.”
“We focused on a few key design factors to drive greater candidacy yield,” said Maye. “We designed a new faceplate that utilizes a battery pill rather than a flex strip, since the flex contacts will add bulk to a faceplate. We’ve also been able to eliminate a few components within the instrument that also reduces the overall dimension. In addition, we reduced the shell thickness, which gave us more real estate on the interior, and enabled us to further recess the device.”
Read the full interview at AudiologyOnline.com.