An upcoming Oticon Medical webinar will explore the different funding pathways available for non-surgical and surgical bone anchored hearing solutions (BAHS) in Australia.
Audiologist Ms Kathryn Dark, Oticon Medical’s clinical sales specialist for Queensland and South Australia, will present the 30-minute webinar next Tuesday 2 December 2025.
Dark has more than 10 years of experience as a clinical audiologist, with a focus on providing patient-centred care in the adult rehabilitation sector. She also has an interest in promoting hearing healthcare and technology in the community.
Oticon Medical said the journey of a BAHS candidate – from initial discussion through to device fitting – must include consideration of how the system will be funded. In Australia, funding pathways vary depending on whether the solution is surgical or non-surgical.
“This webinar will explore the different funding options available, covering both the initial implant (where applicable) and sound processor, as well as subsequent upgrades and replacements,” Oticon Medical said.
“We will also outline what is involved in an ex-gratia application for a BAHS not yet listed on the prescribed schedule (previously known as the Prosthesis List) and demonstrate how Oticon Medical can assist audiologists and ENT specialists with funding applications and upgrade requests.”
Learning objectives are to:
- Discover the different funding pathways for non-surgical and surgical bone anchored hearing solutions in Australia
- Explore potential avenues for securing funding for sound processor upgrades
- Discuss the reasons a client or audiologist may seek a sound processor upgrade
- Understand how Oticon Medical can support practitioners and clients in finding funding avenues and upgrade options, including assisting with ex-gratia applications.
Launch of Sentio System
Meanwhile, Oticon Medical’s first active transcutaneous bone anchored hearing system – the Sentio System – launched in Australia in August 2025 with roadshows around Australia.
The Sentio is a transcutaneous active bone conduction implant system with the implant fully implanted below the skin. The only external part is the sound processor.
“Sentio delivers the proven benefits of our Ponto System, but in a transcutaneous option,” Dark said.
“The Ponto is a percutaneous implant system that uses a small implant and connecting abutment for leading or transmitting vibration to the bone.”
The Sentio System combines the Sentio Ti Implant placed under the skin, and the Sentio 1 Mini sound processor held over the implant by a magnet.
*Read more about the Sentio System in Hearing Practitioner Australia’s December 2025- January 2026 edition, due out before Christmas, which features an article introducing the benefits of the system along with funding options.
The BAHS funding webinar will be online from 12.15pm to 12.45pm AEDT on 2 December 2025.
