If consumers are willing to pay $5000.00+ to be the first to get their hands on the “latest and greatest” hearing aid technology, be honest with them at least. As long as the professional is being honest about it’s improvements, all is fair game. This vulnerable, usually senior aged market looking for help, can be easily swayed by the words “cutting edge, latest and greatest, revolutionary” etc, and professionals use this to get people in the door and to buy the latest, most expensive hearing aids. We have plateaued big time in regard to technology, and we all know it, nothing has really improved since 2010. The next big shift will be when a processor is released that can create a real-time, significant SNR boost, but as of right now… lets not act like each new “platform” that comes out is going to change your patient’s lives. That’s not responsible healthcare; that is deception. Hit your prescriptive targets between 500Hz-3000Hz (not a fan of hitting 4Khz), counsel the pt. heavily on auditory deprivation/adaptation to amplification, and then make your comfort tweaks at the follow up if necessary; its a simple model, and NOT worth a $4000 markup on a set of hearing aids. The current delivery model for hearing aids is flawed, and this is why so many clinics are scrambling to hang onto their hats, while certain ones are thriving and growing exponentially.
Can you please tell me why you don’t try to hit the target for 4khz? Won’t your clients miss out on the ‘s’, ‘f’, ‘th’ sibilants if you don’t provide enough gain?
