Hearing News Watch

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA — In a story first reported by Law 360, a former employee of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, Maria Vanessa Boys Smith, sued the company in California state court on December 18, claiming that she was fired after reporting the foundation inflated the number of devices it donated.{{1}}[[1]]The case is Maria Vanessa Boys Smith v. Starkey Laboratories Inc. et

Two recent articles in the mainstream press reflect the views of public health officials with respect to a pair of hot button issues: the hearing aid industry and the aging American population. In a October 31 Forbes article, Jason Karlawish, MD, a physician, author, and co-director of the Penn Memory Center and the Healthy Brain Research Center, built a credible

CHICO, CALIFORNIA — Less than one month following the revelation that McDonald Hearing Aid Centers of northern California was placed under investigation by the state’s Department of Consumer Affairs, a report surfaced Monday that the state is expanding the fraud accusations against the business owner to now include separate charges against three employees. According the Sacramento Business Journal,  the California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and

NEW YORK CITY – in the New Jersey and New York City area, over 4,000 firefighters are filing suit against truck siren manufacturers over claims of permanent hearing loss as a result of years of exposure to the sirens. Many of the veteran firefighters, who have been exposed to the loud sirens for years, have experienced significant hearing loss as

According to the Pew Research Center, roughly 10,000 Baby-boomers will turn 65 today, and about 10,000 more will cross that threshold every day for the next 15 years.With this aging population comes the increased risk of Alzheimer’s as well as other forms of cognitive decline. The prevalence of dementia is expected  to double every 20 years because of the aging

Sivantos reported their 2015 financial numbers for fiscal year (FY) 2015 earlier this week and the report highlights 10% organic growth for FY 2015 that ended September 30th. According to a recent European analysist report for the hearing aid industry Sivantos and ReSound have been the fastest growing manufacturers in the  hearing aid industry for the past year. This is

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK — A licensed New York hearing aid dispenser and owner of Syracuse Hearing Aid Centers, LLC, was arrested Monday morning on charges that he operated a criminal scheme. According to a news release on November 23rd, the business is alleged to have fraudulently billed more than $1.6 million by selling public employees custom fit earbuds, but then

By now everyone in the hearing healthcare industry is familiar with the facts, but they bear some repeating:  There are millions of Americans with mild to moderate age-related hearing loss, and a mere 15 to 30% of this group use hearing aids, which are expensive, rife with stigma, and rarely covered by insurance. The consequences of untreated age-related hearing aids are

A November 21st Minneapolis Star Tribune report indicated that Starkey Hearing Technologies may be a target for acquisition. According to the report, mass executive firings and subsequent turmoil have raised eyebrows within the industry and left Starkey Hearing Technologies in a vulnerable position. The speculation of a sale was first reported by Wayne Staab at HHTM on October 11. Industry analysts

Hearing loss in adults is more than a minor inconvenience; it is a public health concern with several far reaching effects that often can be successfully treated. That was the main message in a recent public television broadcast produced by Twin Cities Public TV in collaboration with the Minnesota Commission for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans. Minnesota Public