AuDacity 2026 - Agenda

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This session offers an in-depth exploration of vestibular diagnostic testing with emphasis on clinical reasoning and interdisciplinary application. Participants will examine the full spectrum of objective vestibular assessments available in audiology practice, with attention to what each test measures and its role within a broader diagnostic battery. A central focus will be placed on differential diagnosis, integrating clinical and objective findings to distinguish among common vestibular disorders. Case-based discussions will highlight the audiologist's role within interdisciplinary teams alongside neurology, otolaryngology, and physical therapy, reinforcing how vestibular audiology contributes meaningfully to patient outcomes across the continuum of care.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the objective vestibular tests available in audiology practice and describe the diagnostic role of each within a comprehensive test battery.
2. Integrate functional and objective vestibular findings to develop a differential diagnosis and distinguish among common vestibular disorders.
3. Recognize the audiologist's contribution to interdisciplinary vestibular care and discuss collaboration with neurology, otolaryngology, and physical therapy to optimize patient management.

This course is designed for hearing healthcare professionals who are new to digital earmold manufacturing or looking to expand their in-house capabilities through a custom silicone digital workflow. Participants will gain an introduction to the complete process of creating custom silicone earmolds within their own practice — from scanning and digital modeling to 3D printing and post-processing.

Attendees will learn firsthand how digital workflows eliminate the need to send out physical impressions or scans, allowing practices to produce custom earmolds onsite with faster turnaround times and greater design independence. Participants will leave with foundational knowledge to begin implementing their own in-house silicone earmold workflow, helping reduce costs associated with shipping, remakes, and delayed patient delivery while increasing efficiency and customization capabilities.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the full process of printing 3D custom earmolds in-house utilizing the latest in digital technology in the audiology space.
2. Learn more about the ROI for your business/practice and the differentiating benefits you are able to offer.
3. Hands-on, step-by-step production of digital silicone earmolds including modeling, with guidance from industry leading experts along the way.

Explore the home of GN North America and discover how cutting-edge hearing technology is developed, tested, and brought to life. Participants will gain insight into the company's rich history, innovation pipeline, and commitment to improving hearing outcomes for patients around the world.

The 218,000-square-foot facility, which just opened in 2025, serves as a regional operational center for all GN brands and as the U.S. headquarters for ReSound and Jabra Enhance hearing aids.

Limit 50 attendees (audiologists and clinic team members only, please)

Step inside one of the world's leading hearing technology companies and experience firsthand how Starkey blends innovation, research, and purpose-driven leadership to transform lives through better hearing. Attendees will enjoy an exclusive look at the company's operations, technology, and vision for the future.

The headquarters is also one of Starkey’s key global manufacturing sites, and includes precision engineering and production facilities that assemble custom-fit, digital hearing systems, as well as extensive research and training labs where engineers, audiologists, and business leaders converge to develop novel hearing technologies.

Limit 50 attendees (audiologists and clinic team members only, please)

Many audiology leaders feel like they are repeating themselves constantly. The same expectations are explained again. The same issues come up in meetings. Leaders step in to fix problems that should already be owned by the team. These situations are often interpreted as motivation problems. In reality, they are usually accountability system problems.

This session introduces a practical accountability framework to help leaders create clarity, consistency, and shared responsibility within their teams. Participants will learn how accountability breaks down, how to reset expectations effectively, and how to build simple follow-up systems that support performance without micromanaging.

Through real-world examples and guided discussion, attendees will leave with practical tools including an accountability conversation framework, an expectation clarity checklist, and a simple follow-up system they can implement immediately within their practices.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to identify common leadership behaviors and communication patterns that weaken accountability within audiology teams.
2. Participants will be able to apply a novel Accountability Framework to create clearer expectations and stronger follow-through.
3. Participants will be able to implement simple follow-up systems that strengthen accountability and reduce the need to repeatedly intervene.

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Auracast, used as part of an assistive listening system, is on track to become a reality. This could put you, your patients, and hearing accessibility in the spotlight in your community. What is the role of audiologists in improving hearing access in communities? Is it time to start advocating for Auracast installations? How might one advocate for Auracast while still supporting existing assistive listening systems, such as hearing loops and FM systems in use in the area? This session will address key considerations for successful Auracast ALS deployment, educate patients on the importance of assistive listening, and integrate advocacy for Auracast installations in a busy practice. Practical handouts will be shared.

Learning Objectives:

1. Upon completion, participants will describe 2 ways to promote the use of existing assistive listening systems and two ways to foster new Auracast installations.
2. Upon completion, participants will be able to explain how Auracast ALS can work for users of Auracast-enabled and Auracast-incompatible hearing instruments, as well as non-hearing-aid users.
3. Upon completion, participants will describe one in-office and one out-of-office validation measure of the built-in ADA-Access-Ready hearing instrument features that provide hearing access to all assistive listening systems.

Explores the clinical and research-based value of assessing hearing beyond the conventional 8,000 Hz range. This presentation reviews key literature supporting extended high-frequency (EHF) testing as an early indicator of auditory dysfunction, highlights compellling real-life cases demonstrating its diagnostic impact, and examines current barriers preventing widespread adoption in clinical practice. Attendees will gain insight into how EHF pure tone testing can be a powerful and differentiating diagnostic tool for their patients.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the current evidence base supporting extended high-frequency (EHF) audiometry as an early indicator of cochlear dysfunction associated with noise exposure and other causes of hearing loss.
2. Analyze extended high-frequency audiometric findings from case examples to determine their clinical significance and implications for patient counseling and management.
3. Develop an implementation plan for incorporating extended high-frequency testing into routine clinical practice, addressing barriers such as equipment limitations, time constraints, reimbursement considerations, and normative data challenges.

Tinnitus isn't just an auditory phenomenon. It's a multisystem experience involving the auditory system, cognitive interpretations, and the autonomic nervous system's state of arousal. When tinnitus becomes intrusive, all three systems are involved. Active Sound Therapy is a novel approach that integrates three evidence-based interventions (customized sound therapy, cognitive behavioral reframing, and bottom-up breathwork) with specific timing to address all three systems in a coordinated effort.

Grounded in Polyvagal Theory, AST proposes that controlled breathwork can shift autonomic state from defensive to safe while tinnitus is present, enabling the nervous system to reclassify tinnitus from threat to neutral stimulus. This presentation introduces the theoretical framework, protocol components, and preliminary clinical outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to describe the current landscape of tinnitus treatment, including bimodal interventions and how they differ from one another.
2. Participants will be able to discuss the three evidence-based primary components integrated into Active Sound Therapy: cognitive reframing, sound therapy, and breathwork.
3. Participants will be able to implement two types of breathwork with patients on Monday morning when they return to the office and will be able to explain why it's important to integrate nervous system regulation into treatment plans for tinnitus.

Most hiring mistakes aren’t caused by poor intent or weak résumés—they stem from interviews that fail to reveal how candidates actually think. Traditional interviews tend to reward preparation, confidence, and familiarity, while overlooking adaptability, judgment, and problem-solving—the very traits administrators need in environments defined by constant change and limited energy.

This hands-on workshop reframes the interview as a way to gain an inside view of the candidate. Participants will learn how well-designed questions allow leaders to “test drive” candidates before hiring—exploring how they reason through ambiguity, respond to real-world scenarios, and align with the practice’s values and expectations. The focus is not on getting the right answers, but on uncovering the candidate’s thought process. By shifting from résumé validation to thinking assessment, administrators can reduce costly mismatches and hire people who can grow with the organization.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to design interview questions that reveal adaptability, judgment, and learning agility rather than rehearsed experience.
2. Participants will be able to evaluate candidates based on how they think through real-world scenarios, not just what they’ve done before.
3. Participants will be able to structure interviews to better predict performance, cultural alignment, and long-term fit.

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Audiologic care often moves from an incomplete diagnostic assessment directly to device selection as the primary intervention. While pure-tone thresholds remain foundational, functional measures such as speech-in-noise performance and structured real-world needs assessment are inconsistently integrated into treatment planning. This creates a structural gap between diagnosis and prescribed technology. The Minimum Clinical Need (MCN) model proposes a diagnostic-driven framework that links measured functional deficits to specific treatment features. This panel examines the diagnostic-to-treatment gap, outlines the conceptual foundation of MCN, and discusses practical strategies for integrating structured prescription logic into routine clinical workflows. Attendees will gain a clearer framework for strengthening diagnostic alignment and improving treatment decisions in modern hearing care.

Learning Objectives:

1. Evaluate how diagnostic assessment structures shape the alignment between measured deficits, treatment planning, and real-world communication performance.
2. Describe the conceptual foundation and core components of the Minimum Clinical Need (MCN) framework for linking diagnostic findings to treatment planning.
3. Apply principles of structured diagnostic-to-treatment alignment to enhance real-world communication outcomes in clinical practice.

“There’s nothing we can do; you just have to get used to it.” This is often the messaging for patients who are struggling with tinnitus and/or sound sensitivity, but there are effective, evidence-based options for managing these conditions. Through illustrative case studies, we will discuss how behavioral counseling and audiology collaborate on tinnitus, hyperacusis, and misophonia management to help clients accomplish their goals.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe options for evidence-based audiology interventions for tinnitus and sound sensitivity management.
2. Identify therapy modalities that are used for tinnitus and sound sensitivity management.
3. Describe how success is determined in tinnitus and sound sensitivity management.

Revenue-cycle management can feel overwhelming at times. This course will equip participants with best practices in coding and credentialing to ensure streamlined processes are in place to reduce time spent on these tasks.

Learning Objectives:

1. Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to assess documentation needed for credentialing within their audiology practice.
2. Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to describe common audiology coding errors.
3. Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to describe billing and coding trends in Medicare part B for the future.

We cannot control disasters, which is the frightening part of the discussion. But we can take control to create processes, policies, procedures, safeguards to keep people safe and save our businesses. With good preparation, recovery is easier, less expensive and far less daunting. Are you prepared? This presentation will share what we learned from a fire in October 2023 to legal process for the business continuity claim.

Learning Objectives:

1. Inventorying contents: What documentation is needed and helpful.
2. Tools for protecting contents and data.
3. How to find the helpers in your community and recover.

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An established hearing aid practice within an ENT organization embarked on a massive pricing structure change in 2023. In a case-study format, attendees will learn how this established practice modernized its pricing strategy, managed through change, and analyzed the success of the initiative through meaningful KPIs. Attendees will gain insight into how they can customize their own pricing structure updates in alignment with their organization's vision.

Learning Objectives:

1. Attendees will be able to differentiate between bundled, unbundled, and hybrid hearing aid pricing structures.
2. Attendees will be able to determine variables essential to their value proposition as they consider pricing strategy.
3. Attendees will gain insight into preparing and managing teams through change related to pricing structure strategy.

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Hearing conservation should be a foundational standard in patient care. This session explores why integrating conservation into every patient interaction is essential to preserving lifelong auditory health. Bridging research with clinical practice, it examines occupational and recreational noise exposure, gaps in patient education, and missed opportunities in routine audiologic care. Participants will gain strategies to deliver efficient, impactful counseling, personalize prevention approaches, and integrate practical tools into existing workflows. Designed for practicing audiologists, this session advances a shift toward prevention-focused care—empowering patients, influencing behavior, and elevating clinical outcomes through consistent, proactive hearing health advocacy.

Learning Objectives:

1. Integrate brief, evidence-based hearing conservation counseling into routine audiologic appointments.
2. Implement practical tools and workflows that embed hearing conservation into clinical practice without increasing appointment burden.
3. Provide recommendations for appropriate hearing protection devices based on individual patient needs and lifestyles, along with resources that ensure proper use.

Join your colleagues for an interactive, hackathon-style strategic planning session focused on operationalizing the Audiology 2050 framework and implementing its bold vision for the future of the profession. This collaborative evening will bring together audiologists, students, educators, researchers, practice owners, and industry leaders to crowdsource ideas, challenge assumptions, and develop innovative solutions.

Through facilitated brainstorming, rapid ideation, and team/table-based exercises, attendees will work together to identify priorities, generate actionable recommendations, and develop transformative tactics to guide ADA and the profession over the next quarter century. Participants will tackle critical issues surrounding access to care, workforce development, education, advocacy, professional autonomy, and the evolving needs of patients and interdisciplinary teams.

The concepts and solutions developed during this session will be shared with attendees and the broader audiology community to help advance the Audiology 2050 initiative and inform future priorities for the profession. Enjoy dinner, connect with fellow visionaries, compete for prizes, and help answer one of the most important question facing audiology: What must we do now and next to make Audiology 2050 a reality?

This session is open to all AuDacity attendees: ADA membership is NOT required.

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