The "Build Back Better" legislation being considered by Congress would provide Medicare coverage of hearing aids and services once per ear every 5 years, and now includes audiologists, hearing aid specialists, and other qualified healthcare providers.
Older Americans across the nation are slowly but surely receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, and non-emergent medical visits that were put off may indeed be scheduled by mid-2021 or sooner. When and if those positive conditions materialize, hearing care professionals (HCPs) need to be in the right place at the right time—with the right products and financing options.
US hearing aid unit sales dropped off the table after the first week of March. However, even with the "Great Lockdown," first-quarter US hearing aid unit sales still came in about 1% above the same period last year, according to HIA statistics.
Current information suggests that older people and people with severe chronic health conditions are at higher risk of developing more serious illness from COVID-19. This may place hearing healthcare practices and their staff members in a uniquely vulnerable place. Here are some resources for informing staff members on how to protect themselves, their families, and patients.
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Hearing professionals, global visionaries, business leaders, and industry experts from more than 30 countries will experience the speed of innovation and learn how to embrace approaching disruption. The 2020 Starkey Hearing Innovations Expo is scheduled to feature keynotes from Starkey CEO Bill Austin, actor Matthew McConaughey, entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, General Colin Powell, and many more.
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The 68th International Hearing Society (IHS) Convention was held September 19-21 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, with its theme “setting the stage” for the future of quality hearing healthcare.
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“Depression, Hearing Loss, and Treatment with Hearing Aids” by audiologist and educator Victor Bray, PhD, is a PDF article, produced in April 2019 by The Hearing Review and sponsored by Hamilton® CapTel®, that presents a comprehensive overview of what we know about this subject, and provides a strong case for the partnership of audiologists and mental health experts in the battle against chronic depression.
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Hearing aid pricing trends relative to practice affiliation and gross revenues.
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The US Senate has unanimously passed the Veterans Mobility Safety Act, a bill passed by the US House of Representatives in September 2016. It is expected to be signed into law by the President. The bill requires that hearing aid specialists provide services within their scope of practice related to fitting and dispensing hearing aids, under a treatment plan of an audiologist.
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In giving qualified support to the PCAST recommendations, ADA is the first among the hearing care professional organizations to publicly endorse, at least in principle, the PCAST’s report to the president. However, ADA listed a number of important qualifications emphasizing the importance of the audiologists’ role in hearing evaluation and diagnostics, dispensing, and aural rehabilitation, as well as some necessary standards for PSAPs, entry-level devices, and hearables.
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The US Department of Labor (DOL), awarded the IHS certification for new National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards for Hearing Aid Specialists. The Hearing Aid Specialist Certified Apprenticeship is a two-year program.
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A bill to advance the goal of Fit to Serve, an International Hearing Society campaign to give hearing aid specialists a greater role in caring for veterans with hearing problems, was debated during a March 27 hearing of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health.
Read MoreThis article published in January 1997 by Paul Stypulkowski of 3M offers guidelines and recommendations for establishing client goals relative to hearing aid use.
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