Hear In Private Practice

Every year I like to take this week to look back on what I am thankful for since the US holiday of Thanksgiving encourages us to do this.   I am thankful for my office staff who work hard and keep a pleasant attitude.  I am thankful that my business has grown even in this challenging economy.  I have a

In the past month a business associate and I have experienced disappointing customer service.  A few examples have come from hearing aid manufacturers. In one instance the manufacturer sent hearing aids out, but did not “connect” the serial numbers in their system to a specific patient name. Instead of just fixing the error in their system the hearing aids had

There are so many matters to which small business owners must attend that at times there is a tendency to rely on the  “Ignorance is Bliss” adage.  But there are some things for which we must be prepared at all times.  We have a great resource for enumerating those items which must be readily available (e.g., like bank account numbers)

Most practitioners have had a client with various types of simple tinnitus (ringing, buzzing, chirping, etc.). Many others hear more complex sounds (music or voices), but do not report it  in their case history because they fear being diagnosed as “crazy”. The latter is known as Musical Ear Syndrome (MES), and includes hearing voices singing, bands or orchestras playing, or

This post continues last week’s post about online retailing of hearing devices.  Today’s post analyzes the current set up by United Health Care (UHC) which recently contracted with hi HealthInnovations to deliver devices.  At present a hearing exam can be taken on the website.  This hearing test consists of two tones (high/low) delivered to the right ear and the the left

Continuing last week’s post about UHC and Big Box stores going straight to retail for hearing healthcare, several topics must be focused on and dealt with soon.  The first, which is the subject of today’s post, is the difference between a hearing aid and a personal sound amplifier product (PSAP).  According to the FDA,  A hearing aid is a wearable sound-amplifying

This past week has been a struggle  – in my office, at home, and in the news.  Along with all of these events I learned that United HealthCare and Best Buy are going direct to consumers and my favorite great innovator, Steve Jobs passed away.  There is so much information from  the first  events that they will consume a few

I wrote previously about combining the best of the retail and medical scheduling models to streamline our practices, yet still accommodate emergency appointments.  To help solve this problem, our appointment times tend to be longer than other practices and we know those specific patients who need more time.  With a simple email or phone call ahead, we are usually able

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

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