NAS Issues Recommendations: An Entire Industry Changes……… Think Again
“Signal & Noise” is a bimonthly column by Brian Taylor, AuD. A few weeks ago the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) issued their report on the status of hearing health care for adults and their 12 recommendations for improving it. This report was billed as landmark, groundbreaking and a major milestone, and, if it is…
Read More
Waiting for the Second Shoe (of Three) to Drop
“Peeling the Onion” is a monthly column by Harvey Abrams, PhD. Before we get started, a disclaimer: This post will name names – hearing aid products, a health insurance company, and hearing health care benefit programs. I have no financial or non-financial interests in any of the products/companies mentioned except as a subscriber to…
Read More
Audiology Worldnews: Sales and acquisitions within the international AudioNova network
In early February 2016, Bloomberg business reported on rumors that claimed the investment fund that owns AudioNova, HAL Trust, was considering selling the retail network. However, sales of centers along with various acquisitions by the AudioNova group have recently taken place across Europe. These structural changes look less like a sell-off than a strategic repositioning…
Read More
Back to the Future as Siemens Tries to Check Out
Time and space limits in the last Siemens post forced the future to be postponed. The future is now as Hearing Economics continues to clear its desk. Spoiler: nobody agrees yet on what the future holds for Siemens Audiology or its rascally stepchild Hearing USA. Siemens Makes a Run for It On May 7, 2014,…
Read More
Hearing Aid Buying Groups Differ in Their DNA
Dale Thorstad, today’s guest contributor, offers a brief history and overview of buying groups in the hearing aid industry. It’s hard to remember the names of the groups, much less whom they work with and whom they represent. Buying groups have been around for years, but they are experiencing revived interest, scrutiny, and hype following…
Read More