New OTP Website to Check Out!

Posted on May 3, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

Oaktree Products launched their new website Friday, April 29, 2011 and whether a current customer or not, it is surely worth checking out.  As an employee of the company and someone directly involved in site development, perhaps there is a level of objectivity that has been lost; nevertheless, there are some really neat features to this website that will benefit your patients and your practice.  For example, click the light blue BROWSE CATALOG button in the lower left hand corner of the log in page to let your patients browse products without pricing.  The best thing is you don’t need an account number or password to access this feature.

In a hurry and have all your Oaktree Products’ item numbers handy yet don’t have the time to call in, fax or even on-line shop for your order? Log into the Oaktree Products website and access FAST LANE, located in the upper right hand corner of the top horizontal menu bar. Simply enter item numbers and corresponding quantities, click VALIDATE to confirm order entry, and then add to your shopping cart to check out.  It is fast and easy.  Check out the ON-LINE BILL PAY too; you can go green and pay invoices with a credit card online, saving money on postage and paper!

Have time to window shop and wished you could just save your list for later? Be sure to use the Oaktree Products’ WISH LIST.  When viewing your shopping cart, select WISH LIST from the upper horizontal menu bar, name your list and save it for future reference. This is a great tool to use to save a list of the products you order most often or wish to buy later. Better yet, check out the latest bargains on like-new and functional products by accessing the Oaktree Products Outlet Store.

Curious about any new products or monthly specials? Click into the RESOURCE CENTER accessible from the horizontal menu bar located at the bottom of the webpage and select PREMIERE ON HOLD.  By pressing play, you can actually hear our monthly on-hold phone recording to stay in the know and up-to-date on the latest information. For more information on how to activate your web account, contact Oaktree Products via the new www.oaktreeproducts.com, e-mail at otp@oaktreeproducts.com, or by calling customer service 800.347.1960 (M-F, 8:30 am-5:00pm CST).  Happy surfing!

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Simply the Best Brochure!

Posted on April 28, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

Overwhelmed by all the different assistive listening devices currently available? The perfect solution is Oaktree Products’ Simply the BEST brochure. Simply the BEST is a free educational brochure highlighting some key hearing assistance technology (HAT) devices.  It provides a brief orientation to six general HAT categories (amplified telephones, telephone amplifiers, TV listening systems, alerting devices, wireless communication devices, and cell phone solutions) and showcases a few of the best products currently available. Updated bi-annually, the brochure pares down the otherwise overwhelming number of devices to a few high quality items considered the best based on Oaktree Products’ own assessment of product reliability, quality, and customer feedback. As an educational tool, no product pricing is included. Simply the BEST is the perfect brochure to help keep your patients informed.  For more information, contact Oaktree Products at via e-mail at otp@oaktreeproducts.com or toll free at 800.347.1960.

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Almost One-Size-Fits All!

Posted on April 26, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

Grason Associates recently introduced a selection of multi-size single use eartips that make it easier to find the right size probe tip for your patient’s ear the first time! Used for OAE and/or immittance testing, the flanged eartips come in four sizes with each size designed to accommodate a range of ear canal dimensions. For example, the blue eartips (item #MF003) will fit ear canal dimensions ranging from 3-8mm, green eartips (item #MF007) from 7-11mm, orange eartips (item #MF010) from 10-14mm, and red eartips (item #MF012) from 12-16mm. Since the flanged design accommodates a wider variety of ear canals,  there is no longer a need to stock your clinic with a sampling of all 13 sizes of the original Grason single-use disposable eartips; rather, order the four different sizes to meet your eartip size needs. These disposable multi-size single use eartips are made of softer material for better attenuation of external noise and increased patient comfort, and will fit the same immittance and OAE instrument systems as the original Grason eartips. For more information on these products, contact Oaktree Products of St. Louis, MO at 800.347.1960 or otp@oaktreeproducts.com.

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All the Buzz about Portable Alarm Clocks

Posted on April 21, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

Individuals with hearing loss may have difficulty waking up to auditory alarms generated by traditional alarm clocks.  The travelTim (left) and the Serene VA3 (right) are two new portable alarm clocks that are generating a lot of buzz for a number of good reasons. First, both alarm clocks are compact, making them portable and ideal for travel.  Second, the travelTim and Serene VA3 offer not only a loud audible alarm, but the ability to choose from the following three settings: 1) audible alarm with flashing light and vibration, 2) vibration only, or 3) audible alarm with flashing light. When in vibration mode, the actual clock vibrates; when placed under the pillow, the clock vibration is strong enough to wake even a heavy sleeper. Third, each portable clock offers a 3.5 mm auxiliary output jack for an optional vibrating pillow shaker.  Finally, the alarm clocks are relatively inexpensive.  Even if you have normal hearing, not a bad gift for college students or other heavy sleepers who occasionally sleep through the morning alarm!

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Disposable Suction Tubes for Cerumen Removal!

Posted on April 19, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

Disposable suction tubes are finally here and available only at Oaktree Products.  These instruments are the perfect addition to your arsenal of cerumen management instruments, particularly if you  perform suction occasionally or are in a situation where company policy prefers the use of disposable instruments over re-usable instruments as part of their infection control plan.

The disposable Frazier suction tube pictured at the right is comprised of a medical grade stainless steel tube with a durable plastic base.  Available lumen sizes include 6, 9 and 12 French with 9 French (item #66501030) representing the ideal size for cerumen removal. The disposable Frazier suction tubes are packaged 10 per box at a cost of $97 per box.

A second type of disposable suction tube (shown to the left) is also available.  This Baron-style suction tube is comprised of two separate components including a metal suction tube and an elongated, white plastic House/Hough style handle.  As shown in the lower image, the suction tube disconnects from the handle, allowing disposal of just the metal suction tube after one-time use and/or the ability to change out suction tubes during cerumen removal.  Available in several sizes, the most popular size for cerumen removal is size 7.5 French. These disposable suction tubes (item #66500250) are packaged 10 per box at a price of  $19.95 per box.  The handles must be purchased separately; a box of ten handles (item #66500992) runs $16.50.

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Two Products Combine a Punch!

Posted on April 14, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

During the 2011 AudiologyNOW! Convention in Chicago, Oaktree Products, Inc. combined two independent products in a creative way to showcase the power of a loop.  What was unique about this set-up was the ability for all convention attendees, both hearing instrument wearers and non-hearing instrument wearers,  to experience first-hand what it sounds like to be in a looped environment.  In other words, visitors to the Oaktree Products booth could hear the sound transmitted via the installed loop by way of the t-coil of their hearing instruments or through a pair of headphones.  This is a great way to educate patients and their family members not only about loops, but about the benefits of t-coils and hearing assistance technology too.

First, the Field Teleloop System was installed in the Oaktee Products booth. The Field Teleloop System transmits sound from a TV/stereo or other sound source via a wire loop installed around the perimeter of the room. I personally installed this system at our booth, something I have never done before. Other than making sure you have access to a small screw driver to adequately secure the two ends of the wire loop into the back of the amplifier, set-up is straightforward and easy. Since we did not have access to a TV or stereo, a 3.5 to 3.5 mm stereo cable (not included with the loop system) was used to connect Margy Kemp’s iPod Nano to the back of the Field Teleloop.  This configuration allowed hearing instrument wearers to hear Margy’s music via their t-coils.

For non-hearing instrument wearers to experience the power of a looped room, Oaktree Products provided attendees access to the Comfort Duett.  This small, user-friendly rechargeable personal listening device has a built-in t-coil for use with induction loop systems.  By simply putting on the Comfort Duett’s headphones and switching the unit from the microphone mode to the t-coil mode, non-hearing instrument wearers could also hear Margy’s music via the Comfort Duett.  What a great way to demonstrate to your patients the benefits of t-coils, loops, and hearing assistance technology with minimum effort!

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ADRs for AuDs: Resource for Audiologists

Posted on April 12, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

For audiologists seeking a list of adverse drug reactions (ADR), Dr. Robert M. DiSogra, AuD of Audiology Associates of Freehold (New Jersey), has created an easy-to-use Adverse Drug Reactions website.  The website is comprised of information originally published by Dr. DiSogra in Audiology Today (1993).  Almost a decade later, the information was updated in the September 2001 special issue of Audiology Today and includes an informative Adverse Drug Reaction Introduction, a comprehensive index of audiology-related side effects, and a corresponding 12-page list of medications.  Another updated ADR list was re-issued in the September/October 2008 issue of Audiology Today with an addendum of the 2008 Audiology Today issue available online at www.earserv.com/drugs.

To learn more about this topic, check out Dr. DiSogra’s webinar The Internet Pharmacy-Looking for Drug Information in All the Right and Wrong Places via the American Academy of Audiology’s eAudiology platform. The on-line article Adverse Drug Reactions: Issues and Answers for Audiologists is also available. He also has a chapter on Staying Current: Web Sites and Resources for Pharmaceutical Information in the popular textbook Pharmacology and Ototoxicity for Audiologist (Kathleen Campbell, ed., Thomson Delmar Learning). Be sure to check out the many available resources offered by Dr. DiSogra on the topic of adverse drug reactions for audiologist!

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Featured Session on Humanitarian Audiology

Posted on April 7, 2011 by AU Bankaitis

If you happen to be in Chicago for the annual AudiologyNOW! convention, be sure to attend the Featured Session (FS113) on Establishing Sustainable Humanitarian Audiology Programs on Friday, April 8 from 8:00 to 9:30 am in Room 183B. Despite economic downturns, many indicators suggest humanitarian efforts are on the rise.  Unfortunately, there is a paucity of information available on how to manage humanitarian audiology programs, including best practice guidelines. 

A panel of seasoned humanitarians will present practical information on how to establish sustainable, not-for-profit programs related to humanitarian audiology. Moderated by A.U. Bankaitis, PhD of Oaktree Products, the panel of experts will include Dr. Ronald Brouillette, PhD, an audiologist with a doctorate in international rehabilitation administration who has practiced audiology in 23 countries and the co-editor of the popular textbook Audiology in Developing Countries; Dr. James Saunders, MD, a board-certified Otolaryngologist at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center who has been engaged in personal annual philanthropic humanitarian programs in Nicaragua since 1998; and Dr. Jackie Clark, PhD, associate professor at UT Dallas’ School of Brain Behavior Sciences with a Research Scholar appointment at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. The panel will present an overview of global hearing loss, the purpose of humanitarian audiology, ear pathology and related treatment strategies in developing countries, and strategies in establishing and sustaining humanitarian audiology programs. This is a must see Featured Session for any audiologist interested in humanitarian efforts.

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