Choose Your Educational Track

Customize your convention experience by attending the seminars right for you! You can either choose to stick to one educational track or mix and match different seminars. In order to attend the following seminars, you must register with the Premier Package or the Saturday Only Package.

Saturday, September 30, 2023

This session is designed for the Hearing Care Provider that is currently considering adding cognitive screening to their practice but doesn’t know how to implement clinically or from an operational perspective. Attendees will learn the rational, justification and practical considerations of adding cognitive screenings to their daily practice. Additionally, counseling of patients, discussions with PCPs and detailed instruction regarding patient flow and practice operations will be provided.

Albert Turri, AuD

Albert Turri, AuD serves as the Audiology Director at The Villages Health, a large multi-disciplinary practice in The Villages, FL. He’s been a practicing clinical audiologist for 22 years and has been a passionate advocate for cognitive screenings in hearing healthcare since 2016. Dr. Turri completed his doctorate at Salus University School of Audiology.

We’d all like to believe we will never lose a patient/client to another facility; but what happens when a patient/client relocates and requests their records be sent to their new provider? What is a provider’s responsibility to share the record and, more specifically, how are providers held responsible for ensuring the secure transmission of PHI? While these are important questions to address, the scope of HIPAA extends way beyond the act of sharing a patients/clients PHI. Every Covered Entity is required to employ Physical, Technical, and Administrative Safeguards as well as ensure providers receive HIPAA training at least annually.

A 2022 Healthcare Data Breach Report from Clinical Insights reported a decline in cyberattacks of large healthcare system post-COVID; however, they also noted that smaller, private practices and specialty clinics were more vulnerable. In other words, small practices are less likely to have the required safeguards in place, making a breach far easier; and the consequences of such would result in fines that very few entities could recover from.

In this session, we will review HIPAA as it stands now, discuss important proposed changes (which are almost certain to become law), review where the Act allows for scalability so that even the smallest of practices are able to comply, and address effective ways to implement the required safeguards.

This session will fulfill the HIPAA annual training requirement.

Samantha E. Sikorski, ACA, CPCO, CDP

Ms. Samantha Sikorski, ACA, HIS, CPCO, CDP is a licensed hearing instrument specialist, Certified Professional Compliance Officer, and Certified Dementia Practitioner, who owns and operates a hearing wellness practice in Northern Wisconsin. Samantha specializes in practice administration and managed care participation, as well as initiating the best practices for Hearing Care Professionals and patient education.

Samantha began her career as an Occupational Hearing Conservationist in 2001. After developing Endolymphatic Hydrops in 2002, she switched gears from hearing loss prevention to hearing loss management options; and, in 2002, became licensed by the state of Wisconsin as a Hearing Instrument Specialist. She obtained her Audioprosthologist designation from the American Conference of Audioprosthology in 2006 after completing the 13-month program and 120-hour practicum. Most recently, in 2022, Samantha passed her certification exam offered through the American Academy of Professional Coders and became a certified professional compliance officer.

During this presentation, Ray Woodworth will cover ear impressions and their intricacies for success with ordering custom products. In addition, he’ll discuss challenging hearing aid fittings and how to achieve good outcomes with patients via custom fittings and venting.

Ray Woodworth, AAS, BC-HIS

Ray Woodworth joined Starkey in 2002. He works in the Center For Excellence at Starkey’s headquarter. He fits the most challenging hearing losses and supports patients with unique needs from across the United States. He is an expert in addressing acoustic and anatomical challenges with the ear and optimizing the fit of custom technology. Prior to joining Starkey, Ray was practicing hearing healthcare professional in North Carolina in 2000.

Accountability is a crucial element of personal and professional success, but it's often easier said than done. In his book "The QBQ! The Question Behind the Question," author John G. Miller offers a powerful approach to making accountability personal by asking the right questions and taking ownership of one's actions. In this presentation, we will explore the key concepts of "The QBQ!" and how they can be applied in various settings, from individual work to team collaboration. We will discuss the importance of taking personal responsibility for one's choices and actions, as well as the role of effective communication and collaboration in fostering accountability.

We will also explore practical strategies for implementing the QBQ! approach in our daily lives, including techniques for reframing negative thinking, identifying and avoiding common accountability traps, and building a culture of accountability in teams and organizations. Through real-world examples, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how to make accountability personal and develop a proactive, solution-oriented mindset. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out in your career, this presentation offers valuable insights and practical tools for building a more accountable, successful, and fulfilling life.

Lex Landers

Lex is a highly accomplished executive with over a decade of experience in talent development. As Vice President of Talent & Organizational Development at Lucid Hearing, a leading provider of hearing aid solutions with operations around the world, he is committed to driving the growth and development of the company’s workforce through his passion for creating memorable and measurable training programs. Lex’s ability to lead and motivate teams has resulted in building high-performing teams that deliver outstanding business results. As a heart-centered leader, Lex is renowned for his unwavering commitment to cultivating a supportive and constructive work culture that fosters personal accountability, growth, and development. This approach has earned him a distinguished reputation as an accomplished leader in the field of talent and organizational development.