Hearing Economics

Featured image for “The Ear Scanning Story: Lantos Revisited and Updated”
Apr. 03, 2012

The Ear Scanning Story: Lantos Revisited and Updated

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Editor’s Note:  Though occasional references are made in passing  to old posts, I have previously not resurrected old material.  Today’s post unearths an embryonic story written more than 18 months ago, long before it surfaced as a professional reality.    That story has now hatched and is featured in the newest edition of Starkey’s in-house journal.{{1}}[[1]]Frigerio, F. (2012), The future
Mar. 27, 2012

Back to the Future, Part V: The Sheer Volume of It

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Editor’s note:  This series follows predictions by Lars Kolind[1] in the 1990s.   Post #1 considered Audiologists as retailers; Post #2 , Post #3 and Post #6 looked at effects of new forms of competition on retailing and independent practices; Post #4 and Post #5 looked at Big Manufacturers’ innovations and retail distribution of product.  Lars Kolind’s Prediction #V:  It will be increasingly difficult to base a hearing healthcare practice on aggressive marketing and
Featured image for “Hearing Spaghetti or Audiology Armageddon?”
Mar. 20, 2012

Hearing Spaghetti or Audiology Armageddon?

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Hearing Economics is pleased to welcome Kris Diles, AuD{{1}}[[1]]Christine Diles, Au.D. and Bill Diles, M.A. have owned Kenwood Hearing Center Sonoma County, CA for over 30 years.   They have expanded the practice  to 3 full time locations with a staff of both audiologists as well as hearing aid dispensers.  Dr. Diles is a consultant to the Product Development Team
Featured image for “Econ 101:  Utility — It’s Personal, It’s Complicated, and It Depends”
Mar. 13, 2012

Econ 101: Utility — It’s Personal, It’s Complicated, and It Depends

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Utility is a 19th century microeconomic concept used to measure consumer satisfaction.  Satisfaction is personal and subjective; it cannot be measured directly.  Utility measures it indirectly by asking consumers to assign numbers to different levels of satisfaction they believe they would experience if they consumed a product or service.  The reason economists bother with a concept like Utility is because
Featured image for “Back to the Future, Part 4:  Pressure On the Middle”
Mar. 06, 2012

Back to the Future, Part 4: Pressure On the Middle

Holly Hosford-Dunn
These posts follow up on predictions made by Lars Kolind in the late 1990s, published in the final chapter{{1}}[[1]]Jerger JJ, Skafte MD, Kolind L. The future of audiology practice management.  Chapter 21. In Hosford-Dunn H, Roeser R, & Valente, M. (2000). Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed). NY:  Thieme. pp 481-490.[[1]] of Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed, 2000).  Post #1 considered Audiologists as retailers; Post #2 & Post #3 looked
Featured image for “Back to the Future:  What Would Jack Say?”
Feb. 28, 2012

Back to the Future: What Would Jack Say?

Holly Hosford-Dunn
This series checks in on predictions made by Lars Kolind in the late 1990s, published in the final chapter{{1}}[[1]]Jerger JJ, Skafte MD, Kolind L. The future of audiology practice management.  Chapter 21. In Hosford-Dunn H, Roeser R, & Valente, M. (2000). Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed). NY:  Thieme. pp 481-490.[[1]] of Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed, 2000).  Post #1 evaluated and concurred with Dr.
Featured image for “Back to the Future Part IIIa: Technology is a Double-Edged Sword”
Feb. 21, 2012

Back to the Future Part IIIa: Technology is a Double-Edged Sword

Holly Hosford-Dunn
This series checks in on predictions made by Lars Kolind in the late 1990s, published in the final chapter{{1}}[[1]]Jerger JJ, Skafte MD, Kolind L. The future of audiology practice management.  Chapter 21. In Hosford-Dunn H, Roeser R, & Valente, M. (2000). Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed). NY:  Thieme. pp 481-490.[[1]] of Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed, 2000).  Post #1 evaluated and concurred with Dr.
Featured image for “Double Your Prices: Are We Really a Boutique Profession?”
Feb. 14, 2012

Double Your Prices: Are We Really a Boutique Profession?

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Hearing Economics is pleased to welcome a Guest Blogger this week.  Brian Taylor‘s post is a natural follow-on to posts you’ve read here in the last two weeks discussing how and why traditional practitioners will use value adds to maintain and grow their practices in the midst of the online retail onslaught. Considering all the chatter about PSAPs, reduced barriers
Featured image for “Back to the Future, Part II (con’t): Aliens Have Landed and Cross Pollination Has Commenced”
Feb. 07, 2012

Back to the Future, Part II (con’t): Aliens Have Landed and Cross Pollination Has Commenced

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Lars Kolind’s Prediction II:  There will be heavy pressure by trading by means of the Internet, driving competition to become fully global and putting those retailers particularly under pressure who do not add genuine value. Why should a consumer enter a shop if genuine additional value is not added?… [the answer is knowledge]…The retailer must develop and apply a concept
Featured image for “Back to the Future Part II: New Competitors Bring New Pressures”
Jan. 31, 2012

Back to the Future Part II: New Competitors Bring New Pressures

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Back to the Future posts consider hearing healthcare predictions of Lars Kolind (Oticon) in the late 1990s, published in the final chapter{{1}}[[1]]Jerger JJ, Skafte MD, Kolind L. The future of audiology practice management.  Chapter 21. In Hosford-Dunn H, Roeser R, & Valente, M. (2000). Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed). NY:  Thieme. pp 481-490.[[1]] of Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed, 2000).   Post #1