The post above includes information that is blatantly false. hi HealthInnovations is in no way involved in a legal dispute regarding how it sells hearing devices. In addition, the company is a strong and growing business, and the website has been up and running since the organization’s inception. For more information about hi HealthInnovation’s high-tech, custom programmed digital hearing aids, please visit the company’s website.
The website has been down for over two weeks:
“500 - Internal Server Error”
“There is a problem with the resource you are looking for, and it cannot be displayed.”
The post above is inaccurate and misleading to people looking for affordable, high-tech hearing aids. hi HealthInnovations provides high-tech, custom programmed hearing aids for customers nationwide, along with robust customer support online, via phone, and through in-person locations and seminars. hi HealthInnovations is dedicated to making hearing aids, and hearing health, more accessible and affordable for the millions of Americans with hearing loss. For more information about hi HealthInnovations, please follow visit the company’s website.
… in person locations…? Really? I asked about that and a hi Health Innovations rep told me they don’t have “in-person locations” and that all fitting is done via phone and mail. BTW, the rep never called me back as they said they would. That was about the same time that the website went down. I think you’re blowing smoke, Will.
I have UHC ‘Choice’ health insurance. I went to their website and determined that HA’s are covered “100%” (within limits). Great! Found an in-network ENT / Audi and went in for testing. Turns out they are in-network for testing but not for HA’s.
I called UHC. For HA’s I have to go to hi Health Innovations (owned by UHC) or Epic Hearing Healthcare.
HI wanted me to fax them my hearing test, then they would mail the HA’s. They are being sued for selling medical devices that way, and their website has been down for over a week now. They may be out of business.
I’m starting over with Epic and a different audiologist. Their Hearing Service Plan member booklet lists HA’s from Phonak and Unitron starting at $495.
You can get a lot of info by going to websites for Epic, Phonak, Siemens, Starkey, etc. I’m learning as well and that’s one place to get info and learn the lingo.
I just found out that I have $5K in insurance from UHC. I have the PPO Choice plan. I’ve found a independent HA office/fitter that takes their insurance. They have almost all the major brands to choose from. No restraints on anything but the $5K limit of coverage. Called UHC to confirm which physician can refer me to the get fitted for the HA’s and they told me any physician. I’m going to follow up on Monday.
We have had significant increases in our website traffic recently, and we are not certain why you were having trouble accessing the site. Without further information we cannot be certain about why you did not get a call back. We are receiving many calls, and we are concerned that perhaps the number for the callback was incorrect. Please do try calling again: 855 523 9355. As for the onsite locations, this is a different delivery system than the brick-and-mortar location, and we should clarify: All of the initial inquiries about our program and services first go through our great customer service team. They take the initial information from a potential customer, including any hearing testing that has been done. The information then goes to the field staff responsible for that area. There is not a location that you necessarily call or visit prior to this process. This allows the field staff to focus more on the patient care. The field staff reviews any test results, and recommends hearing aids that are appropriate for the customer’s hearing loss . Patients continue with the ordering process, or see the field staff in person. If it is not possible to see the field staff or if the customer prefers to work with an external provider, the customer can see an external provider for assistance. Customers will likely pay for those providers’ services separately from the price of the hearing aid. We are looking forward to assisting more people with hearing loss, and we are very pleased to report that many of our customers are pleased to finally be able to purchase hearing aids that had been unavailable to them (due to cost) prior to this. For more details about our service model, go to our website.
UHC offers many different plans. My UHC supplement provides Health Innovation (HI) aids at very attractive pricing. I decided to look into the program for a pair of backup hearing aids.
I had an UHC network audiologist conduct my hearing test (no co-pay). However, I was required by the audiologist to have a followup visit with an otolaryngologist ($45 co-pay). He confirmed I had serious hearing loss, answered my questions and confirmed I was a “hearing aid candidate”. No news there. I have been wearing aids for 6 years.
HI asked me to send the results of my hearing test and suggested getting the follow up doctor sign off on his diagnosis. An HI rep called a couple of weeks later with two optional recommendations, both of which were thousands of dollars less than any other alternative I had.
I have ordered two ’s with at a fraction of a fraction the cost of my 4 previous aids. HI offers 75 days to try the aids before I am obligated to keep them. There is a one-year warranty. I didn’t see any downside. UHC, HI, their websites and people have been very professional with me and I look forward to trying the aids I ordered.
I’ll try to remember to post my experience with them and HI after a few weeks use. I’m only posting due to so many confusing posts earlier in this thread.
HI shipped the aids quickly. I got them in 3 days.
PROS-
They look like the ones on their web site
Each of the two has 3 programs and five volume levels
An instruction book was included along with info on how to return if not satisfied
Several packages of batteries also included
They were extremely affordable in comparison to all other alternatives.
CONS:
The supplied ear pieces are larger than my previous aids which were fitted by my audiologist. They are uncomfortable.
The battery door is not as easy to open and close as more expensive aids.
The 3 programs seem to be boiler plate amplification and not tailored to my .
The microphone picks up every movement of my scalp and I can hear a “scraping” sound.
Outdoors, wind is amplified significantly more than my more expensive aids.
Sound is amplified but not “clarified” nearly as much as my more expensive aids.
SUMMARY:
You get what you pay for.
The HI aids cost only 6.5% of what I paid for my previously purchased aids.
Being able to hear well is extremely important to me in my occupation. The HI aids cannot handle the task of being my full-time regular hearing aids…but I will keep them strictly as a back up.
I have not read all the 80 plus posts leading up to your purchase, but am thinking if you can find an audiologist/dispenser who can/will make adjustments that many of your amplification issues could be addressed. Would the UHC network audiologist do this for you? Hearing aids rarely are programmed just right the first time.
Outdoors, wind is amplified significantly more than my more expensive aids.
Sound is amplified but not “clarified” nearly as much as my more expensive aids.
HI shipped the aids quickly. I got them in 3 days.
PROS-
They look like the ones on their web site
Each of the two has 3 programs and five volume levels
An instruction book was included along with info on how to return if not satisfied
Several packages of batteries also included
They were extremely affordable in comparison to all other alternatives.
CONS:
The supplied ear pieces are larger than my previous aids which were fitted by my audiologist. They are uncomfortable.
The battery door is not as easy to open and close as more expensive aids.
The 3 programs seem to be boiler plate amplification and not tailored to my audiogram.
The microphone picks up every movement of my scalp and I can hear a “scraping” sound.
Outdoors, wind is amplified significantly more than my more expensive aids.
Sound is amplified but not “clarified” nearly as much as my more expensive aids.
SUMMARY:
You get what you pay for.
The HI aids cost only 6.5% of what I paid for my previously purchased aids.
Being able to hear well is extremely important to me in my occupation. The HI aids cannot handle the task of being my full-time regular hearing aids…but I will keep them strictly as a back up.
A year ago…2.19.13…I posted my experience with HiHealth ’s. I am now a user for 13 months. So far, I think they are great. The service from HiHealth has been excellent, I did meet their audi who was very competent, and the company sent me one new HA in January (no questions asked) when the right HA started to fail.
You write that they are uncomfortable. In what way? I cannot even feel mine while wearing.
Battery door…mine battery door pops open with zero effort.
I suspect that the 3 programs may be boiler plate. You would need to ask HiHealth. I only use one of the programs because it seems to work great in all situations.
Sounds from your scalp…??? No idea what this means. Perhaps you need a longer tube. When I received the aids the tubes they sent were about 1/3" too short which caused the aid to sit too far forward. I did experience some feedback. Once I received longer tubes…problem solved. I also needed a larger tip for the right aid which the audi provided. The new tip improved the sound quality of the right HA significantly.
Wind noise…If I am in a lot of wind I do get some noise depending on my angle to the wind. I suspect that wind blowing across the mic opening of any aid could produce some noise.
Sound clarity…I have no complaints.
A year ago I was brand new to HA’s. I wrote then that I hoped to someday have an opportunity to evaluate an “expensive” HA. I recently got that opportunity. A local audi offered me a no obligation trial for 2 weeks of Oticon aids. Based on my hearing she recommended the Intiga 8 model. I was able to do my own “side by side tests” in a variety of environments. Results:
The Intigas are slightly smaller than the HiHealth mini . Not an issue pro or con.
Hearing clarity…pretty much a wash in normal environments. In a noisy environment I thought the HiHealth HA’s were superior. I wore the Intigas at a convention. Very noisy. I could not understand anyone! In normal environments they were equal.
Comfort…no difference.
4.Price…no comparison here…the Intiga 8’s cost $5400 (that’s what I was quoted), the HiHealth HA’s cost $700.
Everyone is different. My experience has been great. I know for a fact that HiHealth (a United Healthcare owned company) sells a lot of HA’s. I suspect they have far more successes than failures. But, based on the comments on this forum about user experiences with various manufacturers of HA’s, I am sure no one has a 100% success rate.
Get what you pay for??? I got more than what I paid for!!
Unitron. Next 8 is the model. I’ve been using them for almost 4 years. Prior to that I had a pair of ’s, which helped but not as good as the Unitron ’s.
Painter. I appreciate your comments and glad you are satisfied with the HI aids. Your point about the ear tips were especially interesting to me because the tips that came with my aids feel too large and I am constantly aware of their presence. Not so with the smaller tips in my Unitrons. I will inquire about the availability of smaller tips. Thank you.
The tube length is fine and and barely noticeable in feel or looks.
When chewing, smiling or other facial muscles are working, our ears move ever so slightly. With the HI aids, that friction of the skin touching the sides of the aids amplifies this otherwise inaudible sound in my ears. It’s not an issue with my Unitrons.
Your being able to A/B two different models is fantastic and obviously has proven that the HI aids serve your needs the best. I would like to be as satisfied as you. I will call the network audiologist and see if they can change the tips.
Painter. I appreciate your comments and glad you are satisfied with the HI aids. Your point about the ear tips were especially interesting to me because the tips that came with my aids feel too large and I am constantly aware of their presence. Not so with the smaller tips in my Unitrons. I will inquire about the availability of smaller tips. Thank you.
The tube length is fine and and barely noticeable in feel or looks.
When chewing, smiling or other facial muscles are working, our ears move ever so slightly. With the HI aids, that friction of the skin touching the sides of the aids amplifies this otherwise inaudible sound in my ears. It’s not an issue with my Unitrons.
Your being able to A/B two different models is fantastic and obviously has proven that the HI aids serve your needs the best. I would like to be as satisfied as you. I will call the network audiologist and see if they can change the tips.
Thanks for your input.
Before you send them back see the audi.
Your comment about “chewing, smiling…” producing sounds can easily be duplicated while NOT wearing ’s. Plug your ears with your fingers (or cup your ears) and move your jaw. You will hear all kinds of sounds. My jaw sounds like it is about to dislocate! This has nothing to do with the HA’s. I suspect that what is happening with you based on your comment about the tips being to large is that you are “plugged.” These are HA’s. You want natural sounds to bypass the tip. When I saw the audi she determined that the diameter of my right ear canal was larger than the left canal. The right needed a larger tip. Initially she tried a tip that was too large. I was plugged; i.e. I could hear the same kind of sounds you are hearing. Once she fitted me with a tip that is one size down…problem solved. All feedback was gone. Natural low freq. sounds still reached my drum. The HA was now just correcting my problem with high freqs. The “too large” tips I am sure are also responsible for the “discomfort” you mentioned. Do not leave the audi’s office until you are positive that you have been fitted with the correct tip in EACH ear.
If, you still have a problem, send them back. HiHealth will allow a return without any resistance. For me their service across the board has been outstanding. Nothing is going to work for everyone. Show me a HA mfg. who claims 100% satisfaction and I will show you a liar.
Good luck. Let me know if you have success this time. Be vigilant and insist on a proper fit.
i have talked to more than a dozen patients who have returned the HI united hearing aids. i have not yet talked to one person who has kept them (besides reading what painter posted).
these people are all over the company and then came to my company to get real hearing aids.
the biggest part of hearing aids is the service and adjustment component…i just don’t understand how the majority will be successful WITHOUT the service component. it seems nearly impossible for it to run smoothly.
i have talked to more than a dozen patients who have returned the HI united hearing aids. i have not yet talked to one person who has kept them (besides reading what painter posted).
these people are all over the company and then came to my company to get real hearing aids.
the biggest part of hearing aids is the service and adjustment component…i just don’t understand how the majority will be successful WITHOUT the service component. it seems nearly impossible for it to run smoothly.
The users of HiHealth ’s who are happy would have no reason to talk to you. But then, perhaps you are correct. I AM the only satisfied user of their HA’s. I am pleased to know that my singular purchase supports their entire USA organization. I will order a backup set today so that they can enjoy another successful year. I would not want to be responsible for a rise in the US unemployment rate from all the lay offs.
Service component?? What the hell are you talking about? HiHealth has audiologists throughout the US. They are very accommodating and professional.
Update: After emailing Health Innovations about my discomfort with the large ear tips, they responded immediately saying they were sending smaller ones immediately. I am impressed with their immediate response and effort to satisfy my concern.
Service component?? What the hell are you talking about? HiHealth has audiologists throughout the US. They are very accommodating and professional.
I’m not sure private audiologists can adjust or re-program these aids. Does the company provide the software and hardware to do this? Even assuming their first fit is perfect, what happens down the road if your hearing changes?
On an unrelated note, it looks like their use the InTune from Intricon. Does anyone know if this is just a repackaged hybrid from On Semiconductor or Intricon’s own design? How does it compare with the big-name products?
After notifying Health Innovations about the discomfort I was feeling with the ’s, they sent me smaller double dome ear tips. It has made all the difference in the wold. I can hear and tend to forget I am wearing hearing aids because they are so comfortable.