ELEHEAR’s Journey from OEM Supplier to OTC Hearing Aid Innovator

Welcome to this Week in Hearing. I am Shari Eberts, co author of Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss. And this week our guest is Jalene Nadeau, an audiologist at ELEHEAR. Jalene has more than 22 years working as an audiologist and spending most of her time working in ENT offices. But for the last three years, she’s turned to remote care, offering audiological services remotely, first at Eargo and now at ELEHEAR. So thank you, Jalene, for being here to talk about your work at ELEHEAR. Oh absolutely. Thank you, Shari, for having me. Excellent. So before we dive into our discussion of ELEHEAR, I’d love to learn a little bit more about you. What got you interested in audiology and how your career path has led you to your current role? Yeah, no, absolutely. Well it definitely started for me in childhood, I did suffer with a lot of ear infections. Multiple trips to the ENT doctor, a few sets of ear tubes, tonsillectomy. So I feel like I kind of grew up in the field. And of course, you know, when I was in college, I was undecided for a career path and ended up just taking an Introduction to Communication Disorders class that happened to be taught by an audiologist. And I just, you know, got to know her a little bit better and just remembered, yeah, I remember someone like you treating me and helping me with my hearing and giving me some really cool earplugs to wear when I swam. And she was just really influential. She kind of took me under her wing. And I just kind of did a little like a student internship with her. And my career path did mostly revolve around ENT Clinics. Just my comfort zone and kind of my passion. And then with COVID I did transition with the epidemic to more remote care services. Excellent. You know, it’s interesting because you’re the second audiologist that I’ve spoken to today who said, you know, I just randomly took this class in communication disorders. And it was so interesting. It sort of inspired me down my path. So I’m gonna have to tell my children to maybe look into that class. At school, give them more attention to. Yeah, that. That class. I think initially I was thinking about maybe special education. So. But, you know, the. It was very clear what the path should be. I feel. Excellent. Well, good decision. So I wanted to talk a little bit about ELEHEAR. So my understanding that it started as an OEM Supplier making parts for other company’s products. So why did it decide to begin taking its products directly to the consumer through the OTC market. Yeah, oh absolutely. We get that question a lot. So when ELEHEAR first started out they were really well known for developing noise reduction software and that was used quite heavily in a lot of consumer electronic devices. So they’ve been in the field of noise management, noise cancellation, sound processing for years. And of course once the FDA regulation took place in 2022, I think it was just a natural pivot for them to move from that sort of just noise reduction software and other consumer electronic devices into the over the counter hearing aids. You know they’ve just been from the get go focused on affordability and accessibility for the hearing aid consumer. So, but okay, so sort of see that as just a very natural transition for the company. I feel it was. Yes, absolutely. Interesting. Okay, well I think over the counter hearing aids have really changed the game for a lot of people when they think about the hearing aid industry. But I guess the uptake so far has been a little bit slower maybe than people were expecting. So what do you think is special about ELHEAR that’s going to help it really stand out from others in the space? Yeah, absolutely. It’s a little fear of the unknown I think at this point being so new with the technology and the option of getting hearing aids over the counter. But ELEHEAR, even though it’s relatively new to the hearing aid market, again just the technology and the software development that is used in the product has been well established and they’re really interested in providing that premium level technology that traditionally was only found in the prescription level hearing aids in the over the counter lines. You know the latest product of ours, the ELEHEAR Beyond, offers excellent sound clarity. ELEHEAR uses the, what’s called VOCCLEAR sound processing. And of course they’re really well known for their AI noise cancellation. We market well for our AI technology. Its constantly scanning the environment, the auditory environment, taking samples up to 500 times a second and really focusing on extracting speech signals from noise. And they not only extract it, but once it’s detected they then enhance the speech signal. So you know that in of itself that proprietary algorithm that’s used makes us stand out. Our Bluetooth connectivity is for both iOS and Android platforms. There are a lot of features within the ELEHEAR app that you typically only see with the higher end hearing aids. For example our Tinnitus masker our sound therapy feature within the app and also just offering the audiology remote, audiology support. I know not all over the counter manufacturers provide that at this point. So I think all of those kind of is what makes ELEHEAR stand out among the rest. Oh, that was a long list. So that’s good. Thank you. We’re proud of what we do. Thank you for sharing that. So the big news I guess in the industry lately has been Apple, you know, and so that recent launch of the AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids, I feel like it’s been sort of the buzz and the rumor for such a long time and now it’s actually here. So what are your thoughts on that announcement and what do you think the impact will be on the industry? Yeah, it’s exciting. You know, it’s, I think it’s great. You know, from the consumer standpoint, I think that, you know, Apple’s new hearing aid feature, it’s just going to bring more awareness to the over the counter option. What exactly is it? What can it do for me? Just yeah, opening the door. And like you said you know, a little bit ago, the over the counter, there’s a little slow uptake to it. I really am hoping that this new push from Apple will improve upon that, kind of take away the fear factor. And then from the manufacturer standpoint, of course with the competition, it’s just going to up the game for everybody now that folks are going to be more aware of it, you know, so what do we do to accelerate innovation and development and improve upon our technology to meet and exceed Apple’s technology? So yeah, I think it’s been a great things so far. Yeah, I, as a person with hearing loss, I am very excited about it because I feel like you said it will be sort of like a little bit of like a punch in the arm to the industry, like, oh, okay, let’s all see, you know, what they’ve got going on and how we can maybe incorporate some of that into our products and vice versa. And I feel like stigma is still such a large issue for people taking that first step into hearing devices. And so maybe something that like everyone’s walking around with in their ears already can now be sort of that little stepping stone for people into hearing care. And if they start taking care of their hearing and benefiting from better hearing in certain situations, maybe that encourages them to see it as a priority and maybe not so stigmatized, but as a positive. Right. Look at, look, I can hear better, I can have a better conversation. And so that’s my hope. And then of course that trickles out to everyone. No matter what degree of hearing loss you have, if it’s the stigma is lower and it’s more acceptable to care about hearing, you know, we all benefit. Yeah, I completely agree. I love that. The stepping stone. Its definitely going to do just that. Yeah. All right, fingers crossed. So I guess as we were talking about ELEHEAR products right now they’re all sold and serviced online. So that is something that might be new to people listening to this episode. So how do you, as an audiologist, working with clients online, make sure that they’re getting the right product and that it’s programmed properly and then what type of follow up care is available as well? Yeah, absolutely. That’s it right there. Why A lot of folks might be a little nervous about pursuing over the counters what exactly is involved with it. How can I be sure that I’m going to get the best product for me and also for my hearing loss? And so yes, right now all of our products are sold online and we service them all remotely. We do plan to branch out in the future hopefully selling our products through some retail stores. But for right now it’s all online. A lot of folks will reach out to us pre-sale and ask, you know, is my hearing appropriate for A) hearing aids and then B) is it appropriate for an over the counter hearing? So we will often recommend send in a hearing test if you have a copy of a recent exam that you’ve had at your audiologist office if they have never had a hearing test or if they don’t have a copy or if it’s been a few years. We do offer an online screener on our website so people can before they purchase reach out to us for consultation, you know, is it appropriate? And then post purchase we can use that information in helping guide the consumer on how to program their hearing aids. Which earbud is going to be the best acoustic match for your hearing loss? Because a lot of them, they’re picking the size that may just fit or be the most comfortable for their ear but it may not be the best for their underlying hearing needs. So we do guide them remotely through phone calls, emails, they can contact us through the mobile app and there’s a chat feature on the website as well. And it’s lifetime service so they can reach out to us at any point after their purchase as well. Okay, interesting. But is someone like live with them on a zoom call or something like that as they’re setting up the different settings or is it a little bit like trial and error on their end? It really depends on the consumer. Its not a necessity for us. We don’t book zoom calls for every purchase. But they know that it’s an option and if that would make them feel more comfortable, if they’re maybe new to hearing aids, we are happy to do that. I think the majority of folks are happy to jump in on their own and do a little trial and error. They may have had hearing aids before or they may feel comfortable enough with the app. I feel it’s pretty intuitive and user friendly. So some of them, most of them in fact jump in before I even chat with them and have had a little bit of experience. Then we just kind of guide them and just make sure that they’re programming them to the best match to their underlying hearing needs. And you mentioned that it’s sort of a lifetime service contract. So say things, you know, go wrong a year down the road or something, they can still reach back out and get that counseling if they need it. Absolutely, we sure can. Okay, excellent. All right. So I guess just stepping back a little bit and thinking just in general, what should consumers be thinking about when they’re choosing between a professional hearing aid and an over the counter? And if they decide to go with over the counter, you know, how do they find the best one for them? Yeah, great question. Because a lot of times the initial step toward over the counter is often a financial step. They may have been to an audiologist and been, you know, diagnosed with a hearing loss. Have been told that they need hearing aids, they want to proceed with hearing aids, but the cost has been perhaps out of reach for them at the moment. And a lot of insurances are still not covering hearing aids, the cost of hearing aids. So initially it may be a financial concern for them. But we do want to make sure when we talk to them and when we review those audiograms that they A) have an underlying hearing loss. Sometimes they’ll take the hearing test and it’s normal hearing. So other times it’s a more severe loss and we have to actually counsel them that over the counters are really made for that mild to moderate range. So as much as we’d like to help you, it’s probably not going to provide you with the benefit that you would best require. So that’s part of our counseling as well, is just to ensure if we can’t meet their needs, that we do persuade them to, to go ahead and pursue that professional fitting in person in a clinical setting. So that’s the big one for me is making sure that their loss is appropriate for over the counter hearing aids. And the second factor that I really look for is a little tech savviness, a little familiarity with handling electronic devices and mobile apps doing a software update or downloading an app on a phone. It just is going to help them. It’s not that they have to have that level of tech savviness in order to proceed with over the counters. Some of our users have friends and family members that are helping them, but it definitely can assist if they’re familiar with that. It’s about, to me, like taking ownership you need to take ownership of your hearing aid no matter which route you go. You know, you’re going to have needs for cleaning and maintenance and just overall care. It just, there’s just one little step above that when it’s an over the counter just because you’re doing the programming yourself through the mobile app. So you just need to be real comfortable with that in order to get the best use. All right, now that makes a lot of sense. Are there certain features that people should be looking for like streaming or, you know, is there anything special that people should use to compare among the different OTC devices? I just feel everyone’s different. So most users are looking for that. They know that the Bluetooth connectivity is available in hearing aids today and they’ve had experience like with AirPods or other wireless devices. It is very convenient to take your phone calls hands free. And it would be nice to not have to take my AirPods out and put my hearing aids in. So yeah, Bluetooth is a big one that people are looking for I think, whether they do prescription hearing aids or over the counter. So yeah, make sure that that’s available, that they do that they’re appropriate with your electronic device if you have iOS or Android as well, because that sometimes can make a difference. Absolutely. So what is next for ELEHEAR? So everything’s sort of changing so rapidly. How do you plan to stay on the cutting edge as the space evolves? Yeah, that’s name of the game in the field isn’t it? Constant change, you know, that’s the only thing that stays the same is change. So ELEHEAR, all hearing aid manufacturers, we’re constantly evolving, constantly changing. Like we talked about with the Apple product, it’s just pushing that goalpost if you will, in innovation and design and what we can provide to the consumer. And what I like about ELEHEAR, our research and development team is in house and so that helps us with cost saving and they’re constantly striving to really just stay on the cutting edge of hearing aid technology and to do so again on that real affordable side. They’re planning on improving upon their AI. That’s, you know, that’s what they’re, they’re known for. So they’re going to continue down that road and continue to improve upon the AI noise reduction technology. Theyre going to try to make the hearing aids even more automated and adaptive just again to make it a more seamless transition for people when they get their hearing aids to put them on. The less they have to do, probably the more they’re going to want to wear them, it’s just easier and more natural for them. And then of course, you know, just different products to add to our lineup. We want to be able to start increasing the need for people right now. All that we do offer is the RIC style hearing aid with the receiver in the ear. So we’re considering improving upon our product line as well. Interesting. So lots of opportunities. Yes, yes, ma’am. Its exciting to see what the future holds. Wonderful. So any final thoughts you would like to share at this point? I just. Thank you, Shari for this opportunity. I just think it’s a wonderful chance to, you know inform your listeners about over the counter hearing aids and certainly about our company ELEHEAR You know, we’re just dedicated to breaking down the barriers that a lot of hard of hearing have experienced and may have prevented them from getting the help that they’ve needed sooner. So there’s, there’s no excuse in this day and age. On the manufacturer side, we have the technology you know, we want to, we have the ability to provide it remotely for those folks who do want that. We just have to make sure that we do it appropriately and that clients are being fit for their hearing loss and getting the same sort of service that they would in a clinical setting in the comfort of their own home. So thank you. I appreciate this opportunity. Yeah, no, well, thank you, Jalene, for being here and sharing these exciting updates. And I’ll just let our viewers know if they want to learn more about ELEHEAR or the new products, they can visit Elehear.com so thank you so much.