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 “Coffee — Audiologists Drink to Health, Wealth and Art”
May. 02, 2012

Coffee — Audiologists Drink to Health, Wealth and Art

Holly Hosford-Dunn
As mentioned in last week’s post on National Coffee Week in the UK, a principal joy of blogging is that one can write about one’s interests, in this case coffee. Another joy of blogging is the opportunity to wander off on a mental vacation of sorts and write about fun stuff instead of Economics.  Hence, the coffee topic returns this
Featured image for “Coffee — The Other Dark Drink Preference of Hearing Health Professionals”
Apr. 25, 2012

Coffee — The Other Dark Drink Preference of Hearing Health Professionals

Holly Hosford-Dunn
A principal joy of blogging is that one can write about one’s interests, or in the case of this post, what keeps one upright and moving forward. By “one” I mean this editor and what keeps this editor going is the psychostimulant Coffee. Lloyds of London started out in a coffee shop, so there’s the first Economic connection.  The tie-in
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Apr. 17, 2012

Econ 101: Individual Demand Curves and Willingness to Pay

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Last time in this series, we left off with a consumer — who we’ll now name Jack — facing a choice of purchasing hearing aids or monthly golf club membership. We gave Jack a $5000 budget and made it simple by making it a $1000 choice for golf or a hearing aid.  To recap, Jack’s utility, when faced with the
Featured image for “Back to the Future, Part VI:  Slogging Through the Mine Field”
Apr. 10, 2012

Back to the Future, Part VI: Slogging Through the Mine Field

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Editor’s note:  This series follows predictions by Lars Kolind[1] in the 1990s.   So far, this series has negotiated all sorts of land mines, chief among them Audiologists as Retailers, Vanishing Practitioner Autonomy, Internet Dispensing, Consumer Expectations, Vertical Distribution, Technological Dominance, Dispensers and Audiologists as Bedfellows, and Ruthless Demand Curves.  Where’s the love?  Unfortunately not in today’s post, which looks at a Prediction that
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Apr. 03, 2012

The Ear Scanning Story: Lantos Revisited and Updated

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Editor’s Note:  Though occasional references are made in passing  to old posts, I have previously not resurrected old material.  Today’s post unearths an embryonic story written more than 18 months ago, long before it surfaced as a professional reality.    That story has now hatched and is featured in the newest edition of Starkey’s in-house journal.{{1}}[[1]]Frigerio, F. (2012), The future
Mar. 27, 2012

Back to the Future, Part V: The Sheer Volume of It

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Editor’s note:  This series follows predictions by Lars Kolind[1] in the 1990s.   Post #1 considered Audiologists as retailers; Post #2 , Post #3 and Post #6 looked at effects of new forms of competition on retailing and independent practices; Post #4 and Post #5 looked at Big Manufacturers’ innovations and retail distribution of product.  Lars Kolind’s Prediction #V:  It will be increasingly difficult to base a hearing healthcare practice on aggressive marketing and
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Mar. 20, 2012

Hearing Spaghetti or Audiology Armageddon?

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Hearing Economics is pleased to welcome Kris Diles, AuD{{1}}[[1]]Christine Diles, Au.D. and Bill Diles, M.A. have owned Kenwood Hearing Center Sonoma County, CA for over 30 years.   They have expanded the practice  to 3 full time locations with a staff of both audiologists as well as hearing aid dispensers.  Dr. Diles is a consultant to the Product Development Team
Featured image for “Econ 101:  Utility — It’s Personal, It’s Complicated, and It Depends”
Mar. 13, 2012

Econ 101: Utility — It’s Personal, It’s Complicated, and It Depends

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Utility is a 19th century microeconomic concept used to measure consumer satisfaction.  Satisfaction is personal and subjective; it cannot be measured directly.  Utility measures it indirectly by asking consumers to assign numbers to different levels of satisfaction they believe they would experience if they consumed a product or service.  The reason economists bother with a concept like Utility is because
Featured image for “Back to the Future, Part 4:  Pressure On the Middle”
Mar. 06, 2012

Back to the Future, Part 4: Pressure On the Middle

Holly Hosford-Dunn
These posts follow up on predictions made by Lars Kolind in the late 1990s, published in the final chapter{{1}}[[1]]Jerger JJ, Skafte MD, Kolind L. The future of audiology practice management.  Chapter 21. In Hosford-Dunn H, Roeser R, & Valente, M. (2000). Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed). NY:  Thieme. pp 481-490.[[1]] of Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed, 2000).  Post #1 considered Audiologists as retailers; Post #2 & Post #3 looked
Featured image for “Back to the Future:  What Would Jack Say?”
Feb. 28, 2012

Back to the Future: What Would Jack Say?

Holly Hosford-Dunn
This series checks in on predictions made by Lars Kolind in the late 1990s, published in the final chapter{{1}}[[1]]Jerger JJ, Skafte MD, Kolind L. The future of audiology practice management.  Chapter 21. In Hosford-Dunn H, Roeser R, & Valente, M. (2000). Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed). NY:  Thieme. pp 481-490.[[1]] of Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed, 2000).  Post #1 evaluated and concurred with Dr.