The merger of CVS and Aetna has the potential to dramatically change the provision of healthcare services, in general. Additionally, CVS has been expanding into hearing healthcare with the establishment of dispensing offices, and Walgreens has recently done the same.
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A study published in Trends in Hearing looks at how users of an iPod-controlled app tend to adjust their hearing aid settings after being fit to an NAL-NL1 prescriptive fitting. They found that the users’ gain adjustments were, in general, consistent for each person, but the adjustments varied substantially between individuals. However, despite their adjustments, the majority of their final preferred settings achieved similar speech-in-noise results as the NAL-NAL2 target settings with which they’d originally been prescribed.
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Hearing care professionals often encounter people who complain of hearing difficulties and trouble hearing in noise, but when tested, present with hearing sensitivity and thresholds that are within “normal limits.” This article reviews the audiological evidence regarding this unique population and makes the case for educating them about sophisticated technology options—including hearing aids and wireless technology such as remote microphones—which have been proven to be extremely useful for enhancing their communication and quality of life.
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The mainstream business press featured articles this week on the wealth being generated by manufacturing and distributing hearing aids, with mentions of Amplifon’s Susan Carol Holland, Starkey’s Bill Austin, Phonak’s Hans-Ueli Rihs, and IntriCon’s Mark Gorder.
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Dr Barry Freeman answers questions about how long a hearing aid battery should last, and if you should clean the hearing aid and charger contacts. Get new insights into power issues, and ask your own questions here!
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With the deadline for the FDA to publish guidelines related to over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids looming—the government agency has until 2021, but some say it may be as early as the middle of 2019—many are wondering how that will affect the six major global hearing aid companies.
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This week, Dr Barry Freeman answers questions about how temperature and humidity influences battery life, and why hearing aid apps can’t be used to track the service life of silver-zinc rechargeable batteries. Get new insights into power issues, and ask your own questions here!
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Audiology and neuroscience have the potential to radically change the future of healthcare.
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The hearing healthcare field was recently surprised by the announcement that Widex and Sivantos (formerly Siemens) plan to merge their companies. However, the hearing healthcare industry has always been in constant flux, with many mergers and acquisitions (M&As) during the past 25 years. Here is a select list of industry M&As since 1994.
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It’s possible we will see more major M&As and “Industry Consolidation, Act 2” in the next several years.
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To formulate any reasonable strategy for thriving in today’s hearing healthcare market, it is useful to understand where we are today, how we got here, and what might come in the future. Part 1 of this 2-part article offers a perspective about how industry consolidation has changed the hearing healthcare market and the current major trends that could influence the future strategies of an independent practice owner.
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Sivantos and Widex have agreed to terms for merging the two companies. The combined company—pending what will probably be a long and possibly uncertain regulatory approval process—would position it on par with current global market leaders Sonova and William Demant Holding, with a worldwide market share of around 24-25% and revenues of approximately $1.9 billion.
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This week, Barry Freeman answers questions about how many hearing aids sold are rechargeable, and what a hearing aid user can do to get the most hours out of a rechargeable hearing aid battery. Get new insights into power issues, and ask your own questions here!
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This conference is intended for otologists, audiologists, psychologists, hearing aid specialists, and nurses who provide clinical management services for patients with tinnitus.
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Registration is now open for the Texas Hearing Aid Association (THAA) 71st Annual Convention & Southwest Regional Trade Show, June 15-16, at Hotel InterContinental Dallas located in the Dallas Galleria shopping area.
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