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School Health-Product Education-Maico Digital Pilot Audiometer


Maico Digital Pilot Audiometer

Introduction
Product Overview and Description
Product Use and Procedure
Features and Benefits
Frequently Asked Questions
Technical Specifications
Articles / Sales Brochure / Manual
Warranty
Reimbursement
Product Ordering Information

Introduction
The New Maico Digital Pilot Audiometer is a speech recognition audiometer that is used to screen young children for hearing loss. It is available in English/Spanish and is easy to use, portable and quick! This technique has been extremely reliable over the past several decades in the early identification of hearing loss in children. For older children, a manual pure tone audiometer function is included, with test frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz and decibel levels range from -10 dBHL to 100 dBHL in 5 dB steps.

Product Overview and Description
The New Digital Pilot Audiometer has high-quality sound using MP3 technology and a complete, manual pure-tone audiometer for accurate results while screening children of any age. It's as simple as, "Let's look at the pictures." The Maico Pilot Audiometer is a fun, accurate hearing test for preschool children. The Pilot (speech recognition audiometer) was designed to screen very young children for hearing loss. For this age group, traditional pure tone audiometers are often threatening and the directions are difficult for the child to comprehend. Very young children often miss tones or raise their hands inappropriately during this screening process. As a result, medical professionals may choose not to screen the preschool population. This is unfortunate because preschool age is a critical time developmentally for children. Young children with hearing loss can be mislabeled as developmentally delayed when the real issue may be some degree of hearing loss. The Pilot Audiometer is non-threatening and has "game-like" instructions. Children that have difficulty responding to beeps are sometimes capable and comfortable responding to speech. A list of words called spondee words have been developed that are ideal for screening preschool children. Spondee words are compound or bisyllabic words such as toothbrush, bathtub or cupcake, presented with equal stress on both syllables. This easy to use, portable unit incorporates a four color, 12-character picture board. Instead of tones being presented, a friendly voice asks the child to "point to the airplane", or "show me the firetruck". The child is asked to identify 10 pictures presented at 8-descending decibel levels. The operator scores the child's responses as they point to the corresponding pictures on the board. A full screening of both ears can be completed in less than four minutes. The Maico Pilot is available in an English/Spanish unit. The unit also has manual pure tone testing that is customizable to meet your states' guidelines.

The New Digital Pilot Audiometer includes:

	Digital Pilot Audiometer
	Large picture board - English words
	Large picture board - Spanish words
	Small picture review sheet - English words
	Small picture review sheet - Spanish words
	Operator score pad - English
	Operator score pad - Spanish
	Power cord
	TDH-39 headset
	Patient response switch
	Operator earphone
	Operating manual with warranty card
	Calibration certificate

Product Use and Procedure

Setup is accomplished in four easy steps:

1.	Plug the power cord into the rear panel.
2.	Plug the power cord into a grounded outlet.
3.	Connect the red (right) plug of the headphone to the socket marked "R" and the blue (left) plug to the socket marked "L" on the rear of the device.
4.	Connect to the monitor phone (if required) to the socket marked "Monitor" on the rear of the device.

Turn on the Pilot with the switch at the rear of the device. The right ear is selected - the red LED is illuminated. The device is in standby mode now and the group LED is illuminated.

To change the language of the instructions the child hears during the test, press MENU. Move the arrow key down until Pilot Speech Language is highlighted and press ENTER. The next screen will show you the language options that are programmed into the Pilot. Press the down arrow key until the language you wish to select is highlighted and press ENTER. You can now start the test.

Using the Pilot:The Pilot has 13 buttons, a sensor and an LCD screen. The function of each button is as follows:

Start/Stop: Start and stop a test
Group: Choose which set of sentences to run (there are four sets)
Pause: Pause the test
+ (Plus sign): Skip to the next sentence
- (Minus sign): Go back to the last sentence
L/R: Choose the left or right ear
Pure tone: Switch to the manual pure tone test
Menu: Set of menus to change options and customize tests
Enter: Select the options chosen in the menu screens
Up, Down, Left and Right arrow keys.

Getting Started:Preparing the child: The best way to prepare a child is to pretend that he/she is going to play "The Pilot" Audiometer game. It is best if the child can review the pictures and corresponding words on the laminated picture sheet prior to screening.

The game can be played sitting or standing. Tell the child the pilot needs their help and is going to ask them some questions. The headset is introduced by stating that they are going to wear a headset "just like the pilot" and should listen carefully to what the pilot asks. Place red earphone on right ear.

Place the operator earphone in your ear. Press the L/R button (located on the butterfly) and the green LED (located on the bird in the right corner) will light up. On the display the letter "R" is shown. The test will start with words "GROUP 1" indicated by the green LED located on the airplane. Next, the first test word picture will appear on the screen along with the starting level (50 dB). By pressing the GROUP button, you can choose which set of sentences to run on the test. There are four test sets. Press the START/STOP button to start the test. "Test Running" shows on the display.

The child will point to the pictures as the operator follows along with the patient on the operator earphone. The operator will mark the results on the score pad. The test will begin with the introduction: "Let's look at the pictures." Next, the first test sentence will play a level of 50 dBHL. If the patient points to the picture on the picture board that corresponds to the sentence, mark the corresponding field in column R on the audiogram pad with a ü. That means the answer was correct. If the answer was wrong, mark the field with an x. If there was no answer at all, mark the field with "NA."

Pure Tone Function:Press the TONE button (located in the sun) in order to start with the audiometric test. On the display you will see a blank table. The following procedure is based on the basic screen that appears. The TONE LED and the START/STOP LED will light up. The test starts at 1 kHz with a sound level of 0 dB. A tone will be presented when you press the STIMULUS button. As soon as the button is pressed, the STIMULUS field on the display is marked. If the field is already marked when starting the test, the Interruption Mode is selected.

Features and Benefits

Features of the Maico Pilot Audiometer

	It's quick - The Pilot can screen each ear in less than two minutes per ear!
	It's accurate - It can assist in determining hearing loss in even the youngest of children. Potential developmental speech problems could then be avoided.
	It's easy to use - All the staff can be trained on operation and scoring providing greater flexibility and more productive staff time.
	The directions are fun and easy - Even young preschoolers can understand the non-threatening directions and focus on the test. Children are more responsive and anxiety is reduced.
	The Pilot has speech recognition & pure tone screening modes - older children can be screened using the same unit.
	Bilingual - You can easily test your students that are Spanish speaking even if you have a language barrier.
	One-year warranty - This assures the Pilot's performance or the unit will be repaired or replaced within a year at no additional cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:	How is the Pilot different from the audiometer I already own?
A:	Pure tone audiometry is difficult to perform with children under 5 years of age. Pure tone audiometers are often threatening and the directions can be difficult for a child to understand. Children will often miss tones or raise their hands and never lower them. The Pilot Audiometer was designed specifically for the pediatric/preschool child and will allow your office to efficiently and accurately screen this age group for hearing loss using speech recognition.
Q:	How is the Digital Pilot different from the original Pilot audiometer?
A:	The Digital Pilot contains MP3 sound files for the highest level of clarity when conducting speech recognition testing. You can be completely confident that the test levels are accurate throughout each sentence and neither time nor amount of usage will change the sound quality. Each Digital Pilot comes with both English and Spanish speech recognition tests, and the entire test shows in graphics on the LCD screen while your patient takes the test. The Digital Pilot still includes pure tone audiometry, but it is now manual instead of automatic so you can control the speed at which you present the tones.
Q:	What is speech recognition and when was it developed?
A:	Speech recognition has been accepted for 20+ years as a valid screening procedure in the clinical and school settings. In 1962 the Mayo Clinic developed the first speech reception audiometer to evaluate preschool children. The rationale was that very young children have short attention spans and exhibit problems with comprehending the directions associated with traditional pure tone audiometry. Anyone that has tried to administer pure tone audiometry screening to young children is very aware of the problems and inefficiencies. In comparison, speech recognition screening incorporates simple, non-threatening directions. The child is asked to listen to a series of two syllable (spondee) words at different decibel levels from 50dB to 15dB, in 5dB increments, and respond by pointing to the appropriate pictures on the picture board. The operator notes and records each response of the child on the score sheet.
Q:	How do I prepare the child for the screening?
A:	First the child will need to learn the correct names for the pictures. This can hopefully be done ahead of time with the parents or teachers. The best way to prepare a child is to pretend that he/she is going to play the Pilot game. Once you are confident the child recognizes the pictures, tell the child that the pilot needs his/her help and will ask a few questions. Tell the child in order to hear the pilot he/she needs to put on the headphones like the pilot wears. Explain the pilot will ask where a picture is and that he/she should point to it. The child should be told the voice will start out loud and get softer so they should listen carefully.
Q:	What are spondee words?
A:	Spondee words are two-syllable words such as toothbrush and baseball, presented with equal stress on both syllables.
Q:	Can the unit perform pure tone audiometry for older children?
A:	Yes. After turning on the unit, press the "Tone" button located in the sun graphic. The light in the sun will illuminate and the unit will be in pure tone mode. This is the traditional audiometry test.
Q:	Can the Pilot save me time in screening preschool children?
A:	Yes. Both ears can be screened in only minutes. You will also spend less time giving directions for the test and in retesting children.
Q:	Where do I set up the screening?
A:	The perfect setting is in a quiet room furnished with a desk or table. When placing the picture board on the table make sure the child being screened can comfortably point to the pictures.
Q:	Are the tests CPT code reimbursable?
A:	Yes. Select picture audiometry is reimbursable with CPT code 92583; pure tone audiometry is reimbursable with CPT code 92552. While the reimbursement amounts vary by state and by carrier, the national average per test is $36.00 for select picture audiometry and $16.00 for pure tone threshold.
Q:	Is the Pilot a tympanometer?
A:	No. A Tympanometer will confirm the "wellness" of the tympanic membrane but will not confirm if the child has any associated hearing loss. Also, a child may have a normal tympanogram and still have hearing loss.
Q:	What test levels does the Pilot have?
A:	The select picture audiometry (speech) decibel levels range from 15 dBHL to 50 dBHL in steps of 5 dB. The pure tone decibel levels range from -10 dBHL to 100 dBHL in 5 dB steps.
Q:	What frequency range does the Pilot have?
A:	Test frequencies for pure tone audiometry include 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 6000 and 8000 Hz.
Q:	Do I need to complete all four series of responses with a child to complete a screening?
A:	When screening most children, it is only necessary to complete two series of responses on the score card (e.g. series 1 for the left ear, then series 2 for the right ear). Series 3 & 4 would be completed only if there was a need for an additional screening or if there is an operator preference for the sequencing of the picture names.
Q:	Does the order of the series matter?
A:	No. As long as the series for the left ear is different from the series for the right ear, it is not important which series you choose or in what order.
Q:	My school has many Spanish-speaking students; can the Pilot test in Spanish?
A:	Yes. Both English and Spanish speech recognition tests are present in the unit.
Q:	When in Spanish mode, is the picture board the same as in English mode?
A:	No. Two different picture boards are provided. The spondee words are different when the language is translated so a Spanish picture board, test card and score pad are included with the unit. However, the test procedure is exactly the same in Spanish as it is in English.
Q:	Does the Pilot come with a printer?
A:	No. Score pads are provided with the unit and the operator fills in the grid while observing the child's response. This copy could then be inserted in the child's file.
Q:	Does the Pilot run on AC or batteries?
A:	The Pilot should only be used with the supplied AC adapter.
Q:	Is the Pilot portable?
A:	Yes. The Pilot comes with a carrying case that holds the unit and accessories. The system weighs about 5 lbs.
Q:	Is there a warranty?
A:	Yes. It applies to the original purchaser of the unit for a period of one year from the date of delivery.
Q:	What are the spondee words used when the unit is in Spanish mode?
A:	The following is the list of spondee words in Spanish mode: Anillo Cabeza Correo Muneca Sombrero Vestido Dinero Muchacha Pollito Pelota Estrella Cordero

Technical Specifications

Technical Specs of the Maico Digital Pilot Audiometer:
Frequency Response :	250 - 8000 Hz
Power:	100 volt - 240 volt AC, 50 - 60 Hz, 10 watts
Standards:	ANSI S3.6 (R1989) Audiometer specification
Automatic Pure Tone Audiometer
Frequency:	250 - 8000 Hz
Levels:	-10 to 100 dB in 5 dB step intervals
Headphones:	TDH 39
Dimensions
Size:	11.8 x 9.8 x 2.4 inches
Weight:	2.86 lbs

Articles / Sales Brochure / Manual
To review information about Maico Diagnostics or a sales brochure on the Pilot Audiometer from Maico, click here.

Warranty
One-year parts and labor.

Reimbursement
Reimbursement rates vary by state and by insurance carrier. Medical professionals may reference the following CPT code numbers when determining the reimbursement amount by patient.

CPT Codes
92583	Select Picture Audiometry - $36 average reimbursement amount
92551	Screening Audiometry (pure tone) - $16 average reimbursement amount

Other Information

Calibration
Calibration should be performed once a year by a factory authorized service center.

Routine Care
Unplug the electrical cord when cleaning your unit. Clean by applying a mild soap to a soft cloth or paper towel. Wipe the unit, including the LED and back panel. Use caution around the connector area.

Product Ordering Information

SH Catalog #	Product Name
51106	Maico Digital Pilot English / Spanish

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