Hearing News Watch

Featured image for “Inspired by Sister with Hearing Loss, NBA Player Donates $35K to UCF Listening Center”
Dec. 26, 2015

Inspired by Sister with Hearing Loss, NBA Player Donates $35K to UCF Listening Center

HHTM
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – The University of Central Florida (UCF) Listening Center received a shocking surprise on December 15, when Orlando Magic player Victor Oladipo surprised the clinic with a donation check for $35,000. After being named the co-winner of the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award this spring and provided with a grant of $50,000 to donate to the charity of
Featured image for “Reader’s Choice 2015 – Message to President Obama: 30 Million Americans Don’t Have Access to Hearing Care”
Dec. 23, 2015

Reader’s Choice 2015 – Message to President Obama: 30 Million Americans Don’t Have Access to Hearing Care

HHTM
Dear Readers: Because of you, our loyal readers, Hearing Health and Technology Matters (HHTM) has emerged as a leading online source of information on all topics related to hearing — having exceeded 70,000 page views per month (60,000+ unique visitors) and is currently read in over 200 countries. In 2015, three of our top 10 most viewed stories at Hearing News Watch were
Featured image for “Starkey Foundation Target of Whistleblower Suit”
Dec. 21, 2015

Starkey Foundation Target of Whistleblower Suit

Brian Taylor
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
Featured image for “Amid “Profound Disruption”, Private Hearing Aid Market up 9%”
Dec. 15, 2015

Amid “Profound Disruption”, Private Hearing Aid Market up 9%

Brian Taylor
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
Featured image for “More Bad News for California Dispensing Business”
Dec. 14, 2015

More Bad News for California Dispensing Business

HHTM
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
Featured image for “Over 4,000 Firefighters File Lawsuit Against Siren Manufacturers Over Hearing Loss”
Dec. 11, 2015

Over 4,000 Firefighters File Lawsuit Against Siren Manufacturers Over Hearing Loss

HHTM
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
Featured image for “JAMA Report Outlines New Approaches to Mitigating Cognitive Decline: Will Audiology Play a Role?”
Dec. 08, 2015

JAMA Report Outlines New Approaches to Mitigating Cognitive Decline: Will Audiology Play a Role?

Brian Taylor
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
Featured image for “Sivantos Experiences Double-digit Growth”
Dec. 02, 2015

Sivantos Experiences Double-digit Growth

Brian Taylor
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
Featured image for “New York Hearing Aid Dispenser Arrested Over Billing Fraud Scheme”
Nov. 27, 2015

New York Hearing Aid Dispenser Arrested Over Billing Fraud Scheme

HHTM
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
Featured image for “Why Did Dr. Cassel Change Her Mind About Consumer-Driven Healthcare?”
Nov. 24, 2015

Why Did Dr. Cassel Change Her Mind About Consumer-Driven Healthcare?

Brian Taylor
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