FRANKFORT, KY & SMITHFIELD, NC — The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) announced that Coates Hearing Clinic has become the first practice to earn ADA Audiology Practice Accreditation.
Coates Hearing Clinic, which operates locations in Smithfield, Goldsboro, Lillington, and Clayton, North Carolina, is the inaugural recipient of ADA’s new accreditation program. The program recognizes audiology practices that demonstrate established standards for clinical care, patient safety, practice operations, and continuous quality improvement.
Practices seeking accreditation are evaluated in five major areas:
- Rights and needs of the patient
- Delivery of clinical services
- Instrumentation, equipment, and facilities
- Practice administration
- Quality assurance and performance improvement
“Accreditation means that a practice has done the hard work of examining how it delivers care, manages its operations, protects patients, and measures performance,” said ADA President, Jill Davis, Au.D.
“Coates Hearing Clinic has demonstrated Excellence in Practice and earned the distinction of becoming the inaugural ADA-accredited audiology practice. We congratulate the entire team on this important achievement!”
Recognizing Excellence in Audiology Practice
According to ADA, the Audiology Practice Accreditation program is designed to strengthen and streamline practice operations while promoting consistent, high-quality audiologic care. The standards were developed through expert consensus and peer review, with evidence-based clinical and business practices serving as the foundation.
“From the start, we’ve been committed to bringing world-class, evidence-based hearing healthcare to our community,” said Dr. Kathleen Coates, co-owner and audiologist. “We’ve brought together an incredible team of providers and staff who are at the absolute top of their game. They all have a servant’s heart, and we couldn’t have accomplished this incredible honor without them,” added Jordan Coates, CEO and co-owner.
For patients, ADA accreditation provides additional assurance that a practice has voluntarily undergone an external review and demonstrated its commitment to patient-centered care, safety, transparency, evidence-based clinical protocols, qualified personnel, responsible business operations, and continuous improvement.
ADA Audiology Practice Accreditation is awarded for a three-year cycle. Accredited practices may display the ADA accreditation seal as a visible indication of their achievement and commitment to Excellence in Practice.
About Coates Hearing Clinic
Coates Hearing Clinic is a privately owned medical practice with locations in Smithfield, Goldsboro, Lillington and Clayton, NC. Their first location opened in Smithfield in 2019. Their team consists of 17 highly committed providers and support staff, each one chosen not only for their expertise but mostly for their commitment to being kind to every person who walks through the door. They are a full-service audiology practice offering all audiological specialties such as hearing loss evaluations and treatment, hearing aids, tinnitus treatment, balance assessments and diagnostics and cochlear implant services. They are very active in the communities of each of their locations and through the Coates Community Giving Pledge promises to return at least 5% of the clinic’s monthly profits to local churches and non-profits. Visit www.coateshearing.com for more information.
About the Academy of Doctors of Audiology and ADA Audiology Practice Accreditation
The Academy of Doctors of Audiology is a national professional organization dedicated to the advancement of sound clinical and business practices in the delivery of audiologic care.
The ADA Audiology Practice Accreditation Standards were developed through expert consensus and peer review and were adopted by ADA members in 2025. Key principles of the accreditation standards include reliance on evidence-based clinical and business practices to ensure exceptional patient care, and a commitment to ethical, legal, clinical, operational, and relational excellence.
For more information about the ADA Audiology Practice Accreditation Program, visit https://audiologist.org/about/academy-documents/accreditation.
Source: ADA
