Nicholas Reed, PhD, and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins have been involved in some extremely exciting research on personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) and over-the-counter (OTC) devices, as well as cognition and hearing loss. Douglas Beck, AuD, interviews Dr Reed about these topics, as well as the group’s recent work on the ACHIEVE study.
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Whisper may have a quiet name, but it could reverberate loudly in the hearing healthcare industry. Launched by an impressive group of AI, Silicon Valley, and hearing care executives, Whisper features an external brain for the dedicated processing of sound, a subscription-based system, and regular software-based upgrades for consumers.
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Younger generations are moving away from just using a credit card and instead opting for a line of credit specifically for healthcare or retail purchases. Utilizing patient financing in your hearing care office is a great way to get ahead of these buying preferences.
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The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) will kick off its annual convention online on Friday morning, October 16. This year’s virtual event focuses on “Design Thinking” and offers a wide variety of exceptional interactive feature presentations, keynotes, expert panels, live workshops, on-demand webinars, and an industry showcase.
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Partnerships between lenders and hearing care professionals can ensure that proper information is relayed to consumers with specific loan possibilities, such as low-interest loans that can work over 24, 36, 48, or 60 months. “Successful hearing care providers understand how to position financing as the ability to move forward with an improved quality of life,” says Chris Klemick of Ally Lending, “which is being able to hear well on a daily basis.”
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Hearing aid specialist Paul Saxby writes, “Count me among those outraged, and absolutely not contrite, about the US Preventative Services Task Force’s (USPSTF) second erroneous conclusion in 8 years regarding hearing screening for adults.”
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It may not be a miraculous market recovery for the hearing healthcare field, but it’s still very good. Total US hearing aid net unit sales—while still down by -6.2% in the third quarter —made what can be considered a very strong rebound from the -58.6% thumping experienced from April-June (Q2) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, statistics generated by HIA show that private/commercial sector hearing aid sales actually increased by 0.5% compared to Q3 of last year.
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ACI Alliance says the conversion factor adjustment will lead to an estimated 7% cut for audiologists and 9% cut for speech-language pathologists, and that telecare for cochlear implant users should be added to the CMS list of expanded telehealth services.
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With the abundance of online and Big Box offerings, questions about the price of hearing aids are more pointed than ever. Here is a look at how some hearing care professionals are dealing with this issue.
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Healthcare providers are increasingly urging people not to delay preventative and other necessary care because of the pandemic, and hearing care is no exception. In these uncertain times, hearing aid financing helps remove the obstacle of cost—and prioritize health and well-being.
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Current GN Audio CFO Peter Gormsen will replace Marcus Desimoni as CFO of GN Store Nord. Gormsen will remain CFO of GN Audio, and Desmoni will remain active as part of GN’s Strategy Committee. Other promotions include Morten Toft to CFO of GN Hearing, and Henriette Wennicke to VP of Investor Relations & Treasury.
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As it did 8 years ago, USPSTF has come to the same conclusion that there is not enough evidence to recommend physicians screen for hearing loss in adults age 50 and older without signs or symptoms of hearing loss. How should we react to this? An opinion is offered from Karl Strom, Douglas Beck, David Fabry, Thomas Powers, and Kate Carr.
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A new paper from a group of private-practice audiologists explores how the future of hearing healthcare depends upon recognizing and serving patients from a whole-person perspective—moving away from the narrow view of addressing hearing loss through amplification only, to becoming “hearing loss mitigation counselors” and treating the needs of the individual.
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Exceptional sound quality—above all the other “bells and whistles” that the latest generation of hearing aids provide (eg, connectivity, remote fine-tuning, hands-free phone calls, motion-sensors and tap controls, virtual assistants, etc)—may turn out to be THE final hurdle for convincing younger people with milder hearing losses to purchase a hearing aid.
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A survey by SeniorLiving.org indicates the top-two reasons people don’t get a hearing aid is they believe they “can manage without one” and the cost of the device.
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