Summary:
A cross-disciplinary group of independent practice owners share their top five tips to help clinicians drive meaningful results and strengthen their audiology practices in the new year.
Key Takeaways:
- Continuous improvement, external support, and intentional relationship-building—both with colleagues and referring providers—can significantly expand a practice’s reach and performance.
- Prioritizing high-value use of time, especially patient-facing time, enhances treatment acceptance, retention, and overall care quality.
- Leveraging community partnerships and available resources, including marketing and educational tools, can accelerate practice growth without unnecessary reinvention.
Insights from the Outside: New Year Top Tip Countdown
Are you ready to turn the calendar page to 2026? Here are ideas and advice from independent practice owners in audiology and other specialties like dentistry, cosmetic surgery, and veterinary medicine who share many of the same opportunities and challenges.
They answered the question, “What is the ONE THING clinician practice owners could do that would drive real results?” Their Top Tip Countdown may help guide your 2026 planning.
TIP #5: Always challenge the status quo — Brianna Rhue, OD
The beginning of the year is a time many teams set goals personally and professionally. They often focus on “new” ideas. But just because something is working doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. Actively look for ways to improve everything.
Dedicate time daily, weekly, or monthly to work as a team ON the practice, not just IN the practice.
Look at everything—from yours, your teams’, and your patients’ perspectives. Always ask, “What more can we do?” or “How can we do this even better?”
Prioritize and delegate. Identify “champions” for different improvement initiatives and lead—don’t do.
TIP #4: Find a colleague, coach, consultant, or community — Ethan Erwin, DDS
Independent practice owners not only deliver clinical care, but also have a small business to run. That’s a lot, and it often leaves little time to think about change, let alone implement it. One easy thing to do is to tap into the expertise of others. It can be both helpful and healthy to get a “second opinion” from a trusted source—a colleague, coach, consultant, or community, depending upon your personal preference. Just find someone who will walk alongside you, share best practices, and provide kind but truthful constructive criticism.
TIP #3: Create a strong referral network — Melissa Rose, AuD
Did you know that according to research 52% of patients surveyed discussed their hearing issue with a medical doctor? Of those, 45% were referred to a hearing care professional. And 39% were “told” to get their hearing checked by a professional.1 It’s important to consistently communicate with MDs and other relevant healthcare professionals in your area and provide them with referral materials so they specifically refer patients to your practice. The time invested in creating—and maintaining—these relationships may provide a very positive ROI.
TIP #2: Leverage your most valuable asset: time — Justin West, MD
Time is absolutely finite. As a busy practice owner, it seems like you never have enough to do everything you want to do. If your 2026 goals include increasing treatment acceptance, referrals, and patient retention, your time is best spent with your patients. When patients leave your practice—whether it’s after the first consult or last phase of treatment—you want them to not just be “seen” but also heard. This means you are present (nothing matters more than the patient in front of you) and that you invest the time to listen, educate, inform, guide, and ultimately care for them.
Tip #1: Lean into your community and find partners who can help you grow — Jane Brewer, DC, DCCJP
Every practice has a “community” that includes other healthcare providers, associations, study groups, vendors, and more. Many of these people, organizations, and companies have ideas and resources that may help your practice become more efficient and effective including marketing, digital communication strategies, team training, online reputation management, and more. Don’t reinvent the wheel; leverage your community’s expertise and experience.
If you accept the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution, you can easily access insights and resources at https://www.carecredit.com/providers/hear-the-value. This page is updated throughout the year with new assets that may help patients in your community:
- become aware of hearing loss prevention
- consider proactive hearing care and baseline testing
- decide to move forward with your hearing care recommendations
About the Authors:
Brianna Rhue, OD, FAAO, is the owner of West Broward Eyecare Associates, CEO of Dr. Contact Lens, and co-founder of TechifEye with almost 12,000 followers on LinkedIn.
Ethan Erwin, DDS, is a general and cosmetic dentist at Smile Hot Springs in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Dr Erwin is passionate about regular dental treatments in helping his patients’ quality of life.
Melissa Rose, AuD, is the owner of Nardelli Audiology in West Virginia and a certified audiologist. She evaluates and treats hearing in adults with advanced digital hearing aid technology and advanced wireless technology.
Justin West, MD, FACS, is a board-certified plastic surgeon and owner of Finesse Plastic Surgery in Orange, California, focusing on aesthetic surgery of the face, breasts, and body.
Jane Brewer, DC, DCCJP, is the founder of Precision Chiropractic in Colorado. One of about 60 chiropractic professionals with the DCCJP, she focuses on upper cervical care, orthospinology, and neurostructural correction with a precise, patient-centered approach.
All of the authors work with CareCredit.
References
1. Carr K, Kihm J. MarkeTrak-Tracking the Pulse of the Hearing Aid Market. Semin Hear. 2022;43(4):277-288. Published 2022 Dec 1. doi:10.1055/s-0042-1758380. https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/s-0042-1758380.
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