Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM), a leading online resource for hearing professionals and consumers with hearing loss, has released the results of its 2020 Audiology Professional Dispensing Survey.
The online survey was conducted in January 2020, with the purpose of exploring current professional opinion and dispensing patterns in the United States.
Approximately 225 audiologists completed the 19-question survey.
‘Significantly More’ Rechargeable Hearing Aids Dispensed in 2019 vs. 2018
This year’s survey explored many different aspects of dispensing hearing aids. One of the biggest trends over the past year, noted by a large majority of survey respondents, was the number of rechargeable hearing aids dispensed in 2019 vs. the prior year.
Nearly 70% of respondents agreed with the statement that they dispensed “significantly more” rechargeable hearing aids in 2019 vs. 2018.
Rechargeability is increasingly being embraced by clinicians and patients
More than 30% of those surveyed indicated that in 2020 they expect more than 75% of the hearing aids they dispense to be lithium-ion rechargeable.
The ‘Bundled’ Pricing Model Remains Popular
Pricing models in hearing healthcare have become the subject of debate over the past several years, particularly following the PCAST and NAS reports.
Among the suggestions by some groups has been for the industry to embrace an ‘unbundled’ or itemized model of dispensing hearing aids, compared with the more traditional ‘bundled’ model where the hearing aids and after care appointments and services are all included into a single price.
This year’s survey, consistent with our 2018 dispensing survey, found that the ‘bundled’ model remains the most popular pricing model being used today.
Bundled pricing remains popular among audiology clinics
Less than 10% of respondents indicated that they use an ‘unbundled model’, and approximately 20% use a ‘partially unbundled’ or ‘hybrid’ pricing model.
Interesting Insights and Industry Trends
Access to the full survey can be found below for additional insights into topics such as: most popular hearing aid brands, telehealth, top referrals, attitudes on OTC hearing aids, and more:
Click above image to access full survey report
