Holly Hosford-Dunn

Dr. Hosford-Dunn began blogging in her audiology private practice in Tucson, AZ. Back in 2009, blogging was a new and interesting way to quickly share and improve information with colleagues, consumers, and patients. As blogging gained attention, she had the opportunity to serve as chief editor of a multi-author blog for an hearing industry publication. The format was fun and successful. It rapidly evolved into Hearing Health & Technology Matters! (HHTM), an independent blogsite that she founded in partnership with other colleagues in 2011. Since its inception, Dr. Hosford-Dunn has served as HHTM’s first Editor-in-Chief, then Managing Editor, and now is CFO of the organization. After graduating with a BA and MA in Communication Disorders from New Mexico State, she completed a PhD in Hearing Sciences at Stanford and did post-docs at Max Planck Institute (Germany) and Eaton-Peabody Auditory Physiology Lab (Boston). Post-education, she directed the Stanford University Audiology Clinic; developed multi-office private practices in Arizona; authored/edited numerous text books, chapters, journals, and articles; and taught Marketing, Practice Management, Hearing Science, Auditory Electrophysiology, and Amplification in a variety of academic settings. Dr. Hosford-Dunn participates in life long learning by writing weekly posts and by embracing sequential learning endeavors. She spent a year training with the Gemological Institute of America, gaining certification as a Graduate Gemologist (GIA). She graduated with a B.A. in Economics and Psychology from the University of Arizona in 2013. Currently — and probably forever — she studies the Spanish language.

Featured image for “Biotechnology Patents for Hearing and Hearing Devices”

Biotechnology Patents for Hearing and Hearing Devices

Holly Hosford-Dunn

As promised, here’s an update of interesting hearing technology patents — the list is long but it only encompasses the last two months of 2012. I think you’ll agree, it looks like a Christmas wish list — hearing aids that tell you how your body’s doing, that find themselves, that test your hearing, that do real-ear; nanotechnology penetrating the tympanic

Featured image for “Hearing Technology Patent Fights”

Hearing Technology Patent Fights

Holly Hosford-Dunn

Last year’s top Hearing Economics post listed some US patents granted in the hearing industry. The list may have stimulated readership, so another cherry-picked list of recent patents will show up in next week’s post and will be updated every few months. In the meantime, today’s post looks at the exciting afterlife of patents in biotechnology. Patent Wars Not

Featured image for “Stayin’ Alive: Drink More Champagne, Avoid Icebergs, Check the Crystal Ball”

Stayin’ Alive: Drink More Champagne, Avoid Icebergs, Check the Crystal Ball

Holly Hosford-Dunn

Q: What were the last words of the Nobel Laureate economist, John Maynard Keynes? A: “I should have drunk more Champagne.” Right! The next best thing to Champagne is writing these posts and getting readers’ comments. Here’s a great one from a 1st generation private practice owner and worried mother. Q: Do you think private practice can survive in this

Featured image for “Econ 101: If Hearing Aids Were Hula Hoops”

Econ 101: If Hearing Aids Were Hula Hoops

Holly Hosford-Dunn

This occasional series has taken intrepid readers through economic concepts such as Utility, Decreasing Marginal Benefit and Willingness to Pay — all assumptions underlying the downward-sloping Price/Quantity Demanded curve that we call a Demand Curve. As those posts illustrated with Jack and Jill’s different Utilities, analyzing the logic of consumer choices given their limited resources is one way to understand

Featured image for “Intricon part 3: What Does Intricon Make, Anyway?”

Intricon part 3: What Does Intricon Make, Anyway?

Holly Hosford-Dunn

This short series has described a tiny company that stayed small and became profitable by specializing in developing and making tiny things for a tiny group of giant customers. It did this by becoming a “manufacturing OEM”{{1}}[[1]]Original Equipment Manufacturer, as defined in post 2 in this series.[[1]] to several industries, including hearing/audio industries. At this point, we know who IntriCon

Featured image for “IntriCon Corp, part 2: What, Who, How and Where?”

IntriCon Corp, part 2: What, Who, How and Where?

Holly Hosford-Dunn

WHAT is ItriCon? IntriCon Corp describes itself as a “manufacturing OEM.” For the uninitiated (like me) OME stands for “Original Equipment Manufacturer.” An OEM manufactures parts and finished products which it sells to other companies, which in turn use the parts and sell the purchased products under their own brand names. IntriCon further describes itself as an OEM “dependent

Featured image for “The Tiny Company That Could: Intricon”

The Tiny Company That Could: Intricon

Holly Hosford-Dunn

A year ago, odds are low that the name “IntriCon” was tripping off the tongues of most Audiologists. That may not have changed much in the past year, but it is worth knowing about Intricon Corp., the “tiny” company that is the little engine that could and did: it is the manufacturing force driving big UHC’s subsidiary, Hi HealthInnovations. I’ll

Featured image for “Back to the Future, part VIII: Bimodal Is as Bimodal Does”

Back to the Future, part VIII: Bimodal Is as Bimodal Does

Holly Hosford-Dunn

Editor’s note: This series follows predictions by Lars Kolind[1] in the 1990s. Today’s post– the grand finale in this series–considers Dr. Kolind’s final prediction of a Brave New World that looks a good deal like a high volume version of the Old World. We have arrived at this point after posts on Predictions I through VII, which covered Audiologists as Retailers,Vanishing

Featured image for “Creative Destruction and the Hearing Care Professional as Entrepreneur”

Creative Destruction and the Hearing Care Professional as Entrepreneur

Holly Hosford-Dunn

Editor’s Note: Brian Taylor, AuD, returns as a Guest Editor this week to, introduce another innovative concept. Last time, he wrote about Concierge Audiology. Today he writes on Mass Personalization of Services. I think regular readers of this section will agree that Dr. Taylor’s posts fit perfectly with our “Back to the Future” series. Welcome, Brian! Austrian born economist Joseph

Featured image for “Back to the Future, part VII: How Big is HUGE?”

Back to the Future, part VII: How Big is HUGE?

Holly Hosford-Dunn

Editor’s note: This series follows predictions by Lars Kolind[1] in the 1990s. Predictions to date have addressed Audiologists as Retailers,Vanishing Practitioner Autonomy, Internet Dispensing, Consumer Expectations, Vertical Distribution, Technological Dominance, Dispensers and Audiologists as Bedfellows, Ruthless Demand Curves, and Verification and Validation by regulation. Today’s post considers factors affecting market expansion. Lars Kolind’s Prediction #VII. There will be huge market growth. Hearing aid market penetration has been