Who can adjust hearing aids?

@tenkan said:

Bernafon not needed as Costco don’t supply them anymore, but yes Phillips would need to be installed, so Sennheiser is target

By the nature of market segregation: DeMant isn’t going to pass out Philips software to Audiologists who don’t sell that stream of product. Likewise Sonova.

So if you walked into my office and asked me to program a Philips aid, my normal response would be ‘no, that software isn’t available to me’ or more succinctly ‘no I can’t’. Technically I could put all the stuff in place and possibly squeeze a rep/tech support to get it, but they could still say no.

We’re coded out of the Oticon NHS ranges too, by design. This is a whole other level of segregation though. I’m pretty sure the GN Resound stuff is more visible on their platform; but that could be coded-out on the next software iteration.

Yes i understand what your saying, but all I’m saying is it’s not hard and easy enough to do, this to help the client, make some dollars etc
But all this is one of the reasons that has fuelled DIY, plus the overpricing has just made online sellers and Costco market explode, I think the writing is on the wall… unless the manufacturers actually implement code locking as you mentioned, including cloud based programming, this would tie it all back in the clinic’s favour.

I would hope (although from general experience people aren’t this careful) that the audiologist might respond with something like: “I don’t know what software is necessary to program your hearing aids.” rather than an authoritative “Only Costco can program them.”

The ‘overpricing’ or ‘professional based services model’ was adopted by the manufacturers in the early 90s when they hiked all of the wholesale prices up overnight. With the subsequent onset of digital and the rationalisation to half a dozen the situation has become cemented into place.

The manufacturers establish how the market is divided, whether they own the supply channels all the way to the customer or not. Costco has some pull in the medium term, but if a couple of the big guys decided that they wanted their own ‘budget’ delivery arm: who’s to stop them.

If HA manufacturers migrate to cloud-based software for adjusting HAs, then this means goodbye to DIY as they can restrict access to only registered audiologists.

Yeah valid point, this could be an issue for some clinic’s.

Nothing like some ransomware to liven things up - in a definitely unwanted way!

A candid and understandable reply could also include that “corporate and IT restrict downloads of unauthorized software programs, for network safety” rather than pretend they don’t know, if they do know.