Now that legislation has passed allowing Over The Counter (OTC) sales of hearing aids the debate will go on until there is actual experience by consumers purchasing hearing aids on their own. We know that DIYers may prefer this method but most people will probably want some help. The audiology and hearing aid dispensing communities […]
According to a California Healthline article just out today, over-the-counter hearing aids may be on the brink of approval by the FDA and the FTC. Over the past few years, the difference between a Personal Sound Amplification Device (PSAD) and an actual hearing aid has narrowed. The best PSADs are, in fact, hearing aids in […]
Among the most under-reported news stories is the impact of hearing loss in the workplace. A critical corollary of this story is that only the VA offers a true hearing benefit. Hearing loss is now linked to onset of dementia among other diseases of the elderly. As Baby Boomers get older this will increasingly become a […]
It's another drug that does the trick but it's still nice to see that work is being done to help those who lose their hearing due to antibiotics that are very necessary to their health. Kudos to Edwin Rubel, Ph.D. of the University of Washington.
Audiology Now!, the hearing aid industry's largest annual convention has just concluded. For the first time, in a long time, the biggest issue was the high cost of hearing aids. The industry has for years been lobbying the US Congress to include hearing aids as a medical cost which would be covered by insurance. While […]
Mostly when I write about hearing aids it's about how the products work and what kind of benefits they offer consumers. Or, I try to explain how changes in the retail distribution of hearing aids will affect consumer satisfaction. Ultimately this story may have a similar outcome but it's about high finance, initially. Siemens, one […]
As the big hearing aid manufacturers duke it out for market share, they usually concentrate on acquiring practice groups which then become distribution hubs for their products. Rarely is there a product that helps drive new customer acquisition. The Lyric, when it first arrived, was a real innovation that created that kind of stir. ReSound […]
This is a follow up to my most recent post on mobile apps. A blogger from Tech Soup posted this report at the Mobile World Congress. Much of the report is about how the cost of access for mobile apps will be coming down. That is good news, of course, but apps focused on diabetes […]
Looking to the future of hearing loss diagnostics, there is work being done to dramatically bring down the cost of screening for hearing loss at the molecular level. While most hearing loss is sensorineural and comes with age, there are significant younger patient populations who have loss due to genetic causes. Eliot Shearer of the […]
If you haven't yet discovered ping.fm, you are in for a treat. It's the easiest, most comprehensive tool I have seen yet for updating the social networks you use. It does it all at one time. Any professional who is considered an expert at anything, and who is using other social media to post content, […]