Hearing Health & Technology Matters

Nick Fitzgerald has served as HHTM’s Chief Marketing Officer for the past 3 years. He is the President and Owner of AuDSEO, a full service digital marketing agency. With over 15 years of digital marketing experience, Nick is a highly data-driven marketer, with expertise in search engine optimization, digital analytics and forensics, social media, digital advertising, and web development. He has been involved in the construction and optimization of nearly 1,000 web presences, including some of the largest Fortune 500 companies.

Featured image for “Though the “Big Six” hearing aid makers are still intact, consolidation isn’t over in the hearing industry”

Though the “Big Six” hearing aid makers are still intact, consolidation isn’t over in the hearing industry

Hearing Health & Technology Matters

By David H. Kirkwood A couple of weeks ago when I was attending the International Hearing Society Convention, I heard from a reliable source that William Demant, the parent company of Oticon among other hearing care companies, had recently purchased MedRx. Founded in 1994, this Florida-based company has grown into a leading manufacturer of hearing care testing and fitting equipment.

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Read This and Weep: Unraveling HearUSA, part 13

Hearing Health & Technology Matters

HearUSA showed a profit in each year from 2001 to 2003 based on the aggregate individual office production and expenses. HearUSA could have started retiring some of its debt. Instead, with HEARx management now firmly holding HearUSA reins, executive compensation{{1}}[[1]]At least $1.29 million for the top four offices in 2003. For that year, Dr. Brown and Mr. Hansbrough had respective

Your Best Social Media Tool

Hearing Health & Technology Matters

I had the privilege of hearing Hawkeye Richardson speak at our local business club. He believes most people really miss the boat when it comes to using social media. We now live in a world of technology, automatically using computers or smart phones to promote our business. But we have forgotten that the first “social media” was good old face-to-face interaction. He

Choosing the right accreditation, Part 2

Hearing Health & Technology Matters

Nothing is more critical to the future of a profession than the quality of the education that its practitioners receive. That’s why this week and last, the Hearing Views section of Hearinghealthmatters.org has given the two accrediting bodies in audiology a platform from which to make the case for its program. Last week, Dan C. Halling and Patti Tice blogged

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Who’s in Charge?: Unraveling Hear USA, part 12

Hearing Health & Technology Matters

Alas and alack, HearUSA’s honeymoon was short and the HEARX-Helix marriage was not a happy one. From the get go, corporate cultures clashed as top players came out fighting for control. In one corner, Steve Forget represented Helix. In the other corner, Dr Brown and Steve Hansbrough were the HEARx team. HEARx culture prevailed. West Palm Beach, Florida was the

What Are Your Crossroads?

Hearing Health & Technology Matters

A question I often get is, “How did you become an audiologist?” When I was growing up, I never imagined myself working in the health care arena. In college, I could not even see beyond the next semester! When I finally declared a major, I chose Education, only because that is what my mother did. She was exceptionally calm – an angel on earth. I, however, was a

Featured image for “The Duke Abided: Unraveling HearUSA, part 11”

The Duke Abided: Unraveling HearUSA, part 11

Hearing Health & Technology Matters

Last post, Duke Rodriguez table danced his way out of New Mexico politics, which were awash in Medicaid fraud allegations, ending up jobless but probably not penniless. He turned his formidable attention to internet names and domains, bearing down on hearing industry opportunities, noting that the population was aging and hearing aids were not a covered service. Not to hold readers in

Accreditation: Educational programs in audiology face a critical choice

Hearing Health & Technology Matters

Nothing is more critical to the future of a profession than the quality of the education that its practitioners receive. In audiology, as in many other fields, the requirement that academic programs receive accreditation from a recognized accrediting body is an essential part of ensuring that future audiologists are properly prepared to enter their profession. Currently, two organizations accredit educational

Keeping up with the Latest Research

Hearing Health & Technology Matters

In our News Watch by David Kirkwood, he reported upon several studies that would be beneficial to us professionals who fit hearing devices. We need to spread the word of these studies, through our office as well as our professional contacts. The first thing we need to communicate is that hearing devices really are working. The study from the Better

Tech Versus Time Versus Knowledge

Hearing Health & Technology Matters

Every day I am amazed at how technology has changed my perspective on the world. I was chatting with my father recently about how I used to write my reports using the shelf lined with encyclopedias in the basement. I still remember just looking through them and I recall some of the pictures that fascinated me. Now, when my children