Buying Hearing Aids? Quality of Medical Care is More Important than a Cheap Price
If you are in the market for a new hearing aid, please remember that your quality of medical care is more important than the aids themselves. Selecting a medical provider who can accurately diagnose, fit and fine-tune your hearing aids is the main difference between being happy with your hearing aids and still struggling to understand what people are saying. Understandably, most seniors are on a budget these days. Nonetheless, it is important to understand the pros and cons of purchasing hearing aids from a national chain or large retailer, like Costco®. What you may think is a “great deal,” can turn out to be a huge frustration, and in many cases, cost the same as …show more content…
In North Carolina, licensed hearing aid dealers typically only need a high school diploma and minimal on-the-job training to get a license, whereas board-certified Doctors of Audiology, have close to a decade of university medical training in all aspects of hearing health diagnostics and treatment with thousands of patients.
• Do you use Real Ear Measurements (REMs)? Just like a fingerprint, the size and shape of each person’s ear canal are unique. Consequently, an audiologist needs to account for these differences. An REM procedure allows audiologists to use a tiny microphone to measure the hearing aid volume at your eardrum to adjust the hearing aids to make them more clear and comfortable. It takes extra time, but is worth it. REMs assure you that the hearing aids are delivering maximum benefits.
• What kind of warranty do you offer? Some national chains offer a 30 or 60-day trial period. It is important to understand exactly what the warranty covers. Moreover, most reputable audiologists will offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed, period. A true audiologist will want you to hear your best, because hearing directly impacts your overall
If you are in the market for a new hearing aid, please remember that your quality of medical care is more important than the aids themselves. Selecting a medical provider who can accurately diagnose, fit and fine-tune your hearing aids is the main difference between being happy with your hearing aids and still struggling to understand what people are saying. Understandably, most seniors are on a budget these days. Nonetheless, it is important to understand the pros and cons of purchasing hearing aids from a national chain or large retailer, like Costco®. What you may think is a “great deal,” can turn out to be a huge frustration, and in many cases, cost the same as …show more content…
In North Carolina, licensed hearing aid dealers typically only need a high school diploma and minimal on-the-job training to get a license, whereas board-certified Doctors of Audiology, have close to a decade of university medical training in all aspects of hearing health diagnostics and treatment with thousands of patients.
• Do you use Real Ear Measurements (REMs)? Just like a fingerprint, the size and shape of each person’s ear canal are unique. Consequently, an audiologist needs to account for these differences. An REM procedure allows audiologists to use a tiny microphone to measure the hearing aid volume at your eardrum to adjust the hearing aids to make them more clear and comfortable. It takes extra time, but is worth it. REMs assure you that the hearing aids are delivering maximum benefits.
• What kind of warranty do you offer? Some national chains offer a 30 or 60-day trial period. It is important to understand exactly what the warranty covers. Moreover, most reputable audiologists will offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed, period. A true audiologist will want you to hear your best, because hearing directly impacts your overall