Hearing Economics

Featured image for “Hearables, Hot Potatoes of the Ear”
Sep. 27, 2016

Hearables, Hot Potatoes of the Ear

Holly Hosford-Dunn
In 2014, Hearing Economics started a conversation about Hearables that rambled on for 14-post series. It left off December 2015 with a survey of the Hearables that had come on the market (few and only monaural at that point) and exciting ones on the drawing board scheduled for 2016 delivery.  A lot has happened since then, most of it covered in HHTM’s
Featured image for “Buying the Stairway…to Hearing”
Sep. 20, 2016

Buying the Stairway…to Hearing

Holly Hosford-Dunn
By Amyn Amlani and Holly Hosford-Dunn There’s a lady who’s sure All that glitters is gold And she’s buying a stairway to…[hearing]. We’re recalling the lyrics to Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, as an inspiration for our series of posts on pricing.  In Part 3 of our series of blogs on pricing that commenced in June, we analyzed retail and
Featured image for “Ensuring a Quality AuD Externship Experience: A Step in the Right Direction”
Sep. 13, 2016

Ensuring a Quality AuD Externship Experience: A Step in the Right Direction

Holly Hosford-Dunn
by Harvey Abrams, PhD.   “Peeling the Onion” is a monthly column by Harvey Abrams, PhD. online pharmacy albenza over the counter with best prices today in the USA I was very excited to learn about the American Board of Audiology’s (ABA) Certificate Program for the CH-AP™  Certificate Holder-Audiology Preceptor (CH-AP™) described in excellent detail by Bob Traynor in his
Featured image for “Patents Jul/Aug 2016: Game of Patent Thrones”
Sep. 06, 2016

Patents Jul/Aug 2016: Game of Patent Thrones

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Patents, a fantastical realm of imagination, are a wonderful place to explore and gain understanding of new concepts. What better place to stumble on new definitions than in newly-issued patents from  companies in the brain realm?  What better place to implement new concepts than the ear? (editor’s note:  This post was updated 9/11/2016 to correct a series of impaired USPTO
Featured image for “Consumers, Consumers…Where art thou?”
Aug. 31, 2016

Consumers, Consumers…Where art thou?

Holly Hosford-Dunn
As part of our series on the influence of price on the hearing aid market, this week’s blog takes a closer look at the connection between price and adoption rates. Estimates of hearing aid adoption rates were first quantified back in the early 1970s, and are reported periodically as percentages. In 2014, Staab1 provided readers with an overview of differences
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Aug. 23, 2016

Living in the Gray Area between Art and Science: Overcoming the Effects of the Whipsaw

Holly Hosford-Dunn
“Signal & Noise” is a bimonthly column by Brian Taylor, AuD. Most everyone is interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, a big part of which is paying close attention to diet and exercise.  Some, armed with formal academic training, quickly take note of the latest research in these areas.  Social media, cable news and the internet make this information readily
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Aug. 16, 2016

An Imperfectly Designed System for the Times

Holly Hosford-Dunn
by Harvey Abrams, PhD.   “Peeling the Onion” is a monthly column by Harvey Abrams, PhD.   If your time to you Is worth savin’ Then you better start swimmin’ Or you’ll sink like a stone (Bob Dylan)   In a recent post  (in response to the PCAST report and pending FDA decision on creating a new classification of OTC hearing
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Aug. 09, 2016

“I HAVE A DREAM”, REVISITED

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Downstream Consequences of Aging is a bi-monthly series written by guest columnist Barbara Weinstein, PhD.  Today she dreams about Hearables and unbundling as a way to recover our calling as a rehab profession with our patients at the forefront.    In her piece in the New York Times titled, No Hearing Aid? Some Gizmos Offer Alternative to ‘Speak Up, ’ Paula
Featured image for “Where’d Those Numbers Come From?  Data for the 2016 Pricing Series”
Aug. 02, 2016

Where’d Those Numbers Come From? Data for the 2016 Pricing Series

Holly Hosford-Dunn
“I think it’s inevitable that the upward trend line will start to normalize and get flatter. The current market forces in play are going to begin dropping that trend line closer to CPI…albeit not nearly as much as the average consumer would like it to be…” (Comment from Anonymous on the 2013 Price series) Inevitable is a strong word, but
Featured image for “Price Functions in the US Wholesale Hearing Aid Market, part 2”
Jul. 26, 2016

Price Functions in the US Wholesale Hearing Aid Market, part 2

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Real Price at retail isn’t rising in general and is actually falling for Premium products.  Something similar but even more dramatic is happening on the wholesale level. So concluded last week’s post and is the jumping off place today.   Average Wholesale Price Functions   Average wholesale Price of hearing aids increased faster than inflation1 for the last decade ($18/year,