Brian Taylor

Brian Taylor, AuD, is the Senior Director of Audiology for Signia. He is a veteran of the hearing industry with more than 25 years of experience. Brian is a prolific and respected contributor to the industry with more than 25 publications and numerous speaking engagements both domestically and internationally. He is also the editor of Audiology Practices, a quarterly journal of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology, Editor-at-Large for Hearing Health and Technology Matters and adjunct instructor at the University of Wisconsin.

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California Dispensing Business Under Fire

CHICO, CALIFORNIA — McDonald Hearing Aid Centers of northern California is under scrutiny by the state’s Department of Consumer Affairs. According to a November 19th report on NBC affiliate KNVN in the Chico/Redding market, the hearing aid center, which has 19 locations in northern California, is accused of pressuring elderly patients into more expensive hearing aids than were needed and altering test results as part

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SHOCKED: FBI, IRS Raid Home of Jerry Ruzicka, Former Starkey President

PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA — In another shocking turn of events following the abrupt firings of 4 senior executives at Starkey Hearing Technologies in September, the home of former President Jerry Ruzicka was raided today by the IRS and the FBI. The FBI and IRS raid, which has received prominent television coverage in the Twin Cities, including reporters on the scene to record the event, occurred

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Hearing Aid Use and Cognitive Function: Research Continues to Show Mixed Results

Several industry press releases last week, including those posted by the Hearing Industries Association (HIA) and the Hearing Review, touted a longitudinal study, published in the October, 2015 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. The study, authored by a group of researchers at the University of Bordeaux, France, indicated that hearing aid use was associated with reductions

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Wheels in Motion at IEEE for Creating Standards for Smartphone Hearing Pre-screeners

In a story first reported by Dr. Abram Bailey at Hearing Tracker, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has “invited all interested parties to notify if they wish to actively participate in the development of IEEE P2650™ Standard For Enabling Mobile Device Platforms To Be Used As Pre-Screening Audiometric Systems.” The IEEE is a large, well respected network of engineers

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PCAST Issues Eye-Opening Report, HIA Strongly Opposes

On Friday, October 23rd the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a report entitled, Aging America & Hearing Loss: Imperative of Improved Hearing Technologies. After several public meeting held over the past year, which were reported previously by HHTM, PCAST members voted and approved the report. It will be published in the near future. Hearing Loss is

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Update: CVS, Second Largest US Pharmacy Chain, to Open Hearing Centers

WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND — In an October 5th press release CVS announced it will be opening Hearing Centers at seven CVS/pharmacy locations in the Dallas and Cleveland areas. According to another statement, the CVS Hearing Centers will be open Tuesdays to Saturdays and be staffed by licensed audiologists and hearing instrument specialists. In addition the Hearing Centers, which will operate

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The Latest Update on the Starkey Imbroglio

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA — In what may become a flurry of lawsuits, a shot was fired across the bow late last week, as a wrongful termination lawsuit was filed against Starkey Hearing Technologies seeking nearly $11 million in damages following the abrupt dismissal of four senior executives. The lawsuit, filed by former Operations Vice President Keith Guggenberger, alleges breach of contract, defamation of character

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Study Shows Link Between Elderly Hearing Loss and Earlier Death

A September 24th 2015 article published in the online edition of JAMA-Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery provided data on the relationship between hearing impairment and all-cause mortality. Lead study author Kevin Contrera, MPH, and MD candidate, along with his colleagues at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, combined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in

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Message to President Obama: 30 Million Americans Don’t Have Access to Hearing Care

WASHINGTON, DC — The key message during Friday’s (9/18) public meeting of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) was that 30 million Americans do not have access to hearing care. The PCAST, originally chartered in 2001, has a broad mandate to advise the President in areas of science and technology. One of the main goals of the council is the

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ADA and IntriCon Create For-Profit LLC

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY — IntriCon, a publicly traded (NASDAQ: IIN) hearing aid manufacturer based in suburban Minneapolis/St.Paul, announced a joint venture with the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) in a story first reported by the Hearing Review on September 14. The joint venture will operate under the name earVenture LLC and is operated by a board of directors comprised of