Hearing News Watch

HAMILTON, ON—Traditionally, hearing aids have helped people with hearing loss by amplifying and processing sound in such a way that users can make the most of their residual hearing. They are not expected to improve people’s ability to hear unaided. But now, for the second time in the past few months, hearing aid technology has been introduced that is intended to

CLEVELAND–Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine filed lawsuits last week against two hearing aid dispensing businesses in northeast Ohio, accusing them and their owners of multiple violations of consumer law, including misrepresenting products and services. Named in the October 24 announcement were American Hearing Centers Network LLC, owned by Joseph Boles, and Southland Hearing Center, owned by Jeffrey Jones. American Hearing

SKODSBORG, DENMARK—Patient-centered care is a popular concept these days, and certainly sounds like a good idea for any area of health care, including hearing care. However, the Ida Institute notes, during its various seminars and workshops and in conversations at professional meetings, audiologists have sometimes expressed skepticism about it. They wonder if patient-centered care is a fluffy, intangible, time-consuming add-on

  By David H. Kirkwood WASHINGTON, DC—Citing “structural and programmatic changes for the Better Hearing Institute (BHI),” the Hearing Industries Association (HIA), which funds BHI, announced that Sergei Kochkin, BHI’s executive director since 2004, “will no longer be associated with the institute” effective November 1. In a press statement issued October 22, HIA said, “While Dr. Kochkin will no longer

PHOENIX—The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) will be focusing squarely on the future of its profession when it holds its 2012 Annual Convention November 8-10 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix. The meeting’s theme is “Phoenix Rising: Taking Audiology Above and Beyond,” and ADA is urging members to attend and “become part of the movement that is shaping

TUCSON, AZ–In the 18 months since the launch of The Blogs@Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM), the popular online publication has published well over 1000 posts and reached 90,000 separate readers, who have viewed more than 215,000 pages. HHTM has also quickly established an international reputation as an authoritative source of valuable information and insights for hearing professionals, hard-of-hearing consumers,

WASHINGTON, DC—Growth in the U.S. hearing aid market shrank during the third quarter of 2012, according to the latest statistical report from the Hearing Industries Association (HIA). The 705,791 hearing aids sold by manufacturers in the past three months was just 1.0% more than in the same period in 2011. The picture was even worse in the private, i.e., non-governmental,

CHICAGO—Nine Chicago firefighters won a victory last week when an Illinois appeals court sustained verdicts in their favor in their suit against Federal Signal Corporation. The ruling upheld the awards of $445,000 to the nine plaintiffs, while rejecting the company’s appeal of the jury’s decision in a 2009 trial. In their suit, the firefighters said that the sirens made by

WICHITA, KS—Employees at Spirit AeroSystems have raised $50,000 for the Hearing Aid Fund of the Children Miracle Network Hospitals. The money, which was raised through the Good Neighbor Fund, will go toward hearing aids for children whose families are otherwise unable to pay for them. The Good Neighbor Fund is an employee-run, non-profit program organized by Spirit employees to make

SAN FRANCISCO—Readers of this blog who live or visit San Francisco might want to check out Mozzeria, an unusual pizza and pasta restaurant in the Mission District. What’s unusual about it? Well, for one thing, along with pizza Margherita and pomodoro, there’s also a roast duck pizza with hoisin sauce. And the pasta dishes include both tagliatelle and Japanese pumpkin