Hearing Economics

By Nick Ramdass, SHOEBOX Audiometry Hearing loss is a serious problem globally. The World Health Organization estimates that there are almost half of a billion people suffering from disabling hearing loss — a number that is expected to double by 2050.1 The National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Diseases (NIDCD) estimates that there are approximately 37.5 million Americans over

We’re likely to see more and more cross-overs between hearing aids and wearables/hearables. … What will the next generation of hearing aids look like?”  (Director of Media Relations at Sonova AG quoted in Hip hearing aids as a fashion statement?  Audiology Worldnews, April 20 2018)   By Holly Hosford-Dunn, PhD Marketing meets up with patents when it comes to figuring

Editor’s Note: Business decision-making requires analytics to steer decisions towards profitability. Over the years, the hearing healthcare market has utilized analytics called key performance indicators (KPIs) as their compass when making business decisions. Given the rapid changes occurring in the hearing healthcare arena, we are learning that some KPIs, which were once considered as barometers to financial gain, are not

HHTM welcomes back Dr. Holly Hosford-Dunn to Hearing Economics this week to bring readers the latest update in her popular patent series that has been tracking patent activity in the hearing industry since 2012   The patent series took a 6 month vacation and resumes today with 73 patents which were awarded in the fourth quarter of 2017. Almost 75%

By Harvey Abrams, PhD In a recent HHTM post, guest bloggers Terry Mactaggart and Errol Davis identify several provocative challenges that hearing healthcare providers will likely face in a near future characterized by rapid technological changes and major shifts in healthcare delivery. We would be wise to seriously consider how we will respond to each of those challenges. Mactaggart and

Editor’s Note: Over the past few years, there has been a proliferation of third-party programs available to practitioners. These programs appear to provide practitioners with an opportunity to increase their patient load and, ultimately, their revenue stream. In this month’s blog, Dr. Kim Cavitt provides us with an overview of plans offered by third-party administrators (TPAs) and hearing aid referral

by Brian Taylor “Signal & Noise” is a bimonthly column by Brian Taylor, AuD.   Customization Rules   Finally, we reach the top of the Progression of Economic Value by transforming patients. In healthcare, according to Joe Pine,1 customized or staged experiences that are inherently memorable and personal are likely to lead to a transformative event for the patient. A

by Brian Taylor “Signal & Noise” is a bimonthly column by Brian Taylor, AuD   “The handshake of the host affects the taste of the roast” –Benjamin Franklin   Query any hearing healthcare provider and she is likely to say she practices patient centered care1. The concept of patient centered care is a broad one, but one basic tenet of

Editor’s Note: Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM) is pleased to post the first column from the new Section Editor of Hearing Economics, Amyn Amlani. If you are a frequent reader of HHTM, it’s likely you have read several guest columns from Amyn, and if you’re an occasional reader who may have missed his previous postings, you’re sure to be

This week, HHTM welcomes long-time contributor, Amyn Amlani, PhD, as the new editor of Hearing Economics. While Dr. Amlani has written several well-received articles for HHTM over the years, today we’re republishing a very popular and timely post he authored on OTC hearing devices, originally published here on 8/22/17.   by Amyn Amlani, PhD The reality of over-the-counter (OTC) products