Hearing Aid Practitioner employed at Costco…Ask Me Anything!

thank you for the reply Kenp. I used tech link for the tv with my cobalts and was able to use it for the phone as well, so same process.
In other words, I used a tv connection with a tec connector with the cobalt 16s as well as had the blue tooth phone option with the tech, so I was suing the same devices before.

@drp4video said:

I have had the Costo Phonek for about 4 weeks. I had the Rexton Cobalt 16 for five years. I noticed the battery life on the Phonek is about half that of the Rexton. Rexton lasted 8 days, Phonek only 4. Is there a reason for this and is there a way to make the Phonek battery life last longer?

@drp4video said:

thank you for the reply Kenp. I used tech link for the tv with my cobalts and was able to use it for the phone as well, so same process.
In other words, I used a tv connection with a tec connector with the cobalt 16s as well as had the blue tooth phone option with the tech, so I was suing the same devices before.

Unfortunately, high power consumption is one of the weaknesses of the Phonak product. It uses nearly twice the current when streaming versus non-streaming. Streaming on Rexton/Siemens instruments has far less impact on battery life.

I love the idea of Costco hearing centers, and if I were going to pay for my aids myself I’d definitely get them there. But my insurance company will cover my hearing aids subject to an already-met deductible and $100 copay, so it makes no sense for me to pay for my aids at Costco.

My question is this: what should I be looking for in in choosing where to buy my aids? I believe my current ENT/audiology practice carries Widex hearing aids; if I am comfortable with them and can confirm that they will do REM and offer an adequate trial period, is there any reason to prefer another brand or shop around? I’m not really concerned about my insurance company getting gouged; they’re very good at watching their own bottom line and I’m sure they’ll be paying a contracted rate far below what I’d pay retail, anyway.

Could you also speak to the different technology levels manufacturer offers? Widex, I believe, offers their Dream line in 110, 220, 330 and 440 levels. Should I be advocating for the highest level my insurance will cover? Hypothetically, would it be worth paying extra for a higher tech level my insurance won’t cover?

@mmuthu said:

…One said that it is difficult to fit a hearing aid for the type of hearing loss I have - bell shaped, with poor hearing at low and hi ends, near normal in the mid ranges:

My question: Is there a particular brand of hearing aid that would cater to this type of hearing loss?

Not really. You need to find someone who knows how to program aids for a reverse cookie bite loss, though.

@thelatinst said:

I love the idea of Costco hearing centers, and if I were going to pay for my aids myself I’d definitely get them there. But my insurance company will cover my hearing aids subject to an already-met deductible and $100 copay, so it makes no sense for me to pay for my aids at Costco.

My question is this: what should I be looking for in in choosing where to buy my aids? I believe my current ENT/audiology practice carries Widex hearing aids; if I am comfortable with them and can confirm that they will do REM and offer an adequate trial period, is there any reason to prefer another brand or shop around? I’m not really concerned about my insurance company getting gouged; they’re very good at watching their own bottom line and I’m sure they’ll be paying a contracted rate far below what I’d pay retail, anyway.

Could you also speak to the different technology levels manufacturer offers? Widex, I believe, offers their Dream line in 110, 220, 330 and 440 levels. Should I be advocating for the highest level my insurance will cover? Hypothetically, would it be worth paying extra for a higher tech level my insurance won’t cover?

Any top 6 hearing aid manufacturer’s technology will be suitable for you, granted the correct style is chosen and Real ear measurements are completed. Make sure that you trust in your professional and his knowledge and MAKE SURE he/she isn’t just telling you what you want to hear.

@thelatinst said:

I’m not really concerned about my insurance company getting gouged; they’re very good at watching their own bottom line and I’m sure they’ll be paying a contracted rate far below what I’d pay retail, anyway.

Most insurance plans have a cap on what they’ll pay out. For example, if your maximum benefit for hearing aids is $2800 every 36 months, and your audi submits a claim for $7000, you could be balance billed for $4200. So you should find out what your max benefit is and then negotiate with your audi accordingly.

What sort of longevity do you get out of those mic wires? My customers’ ones seem to need fairly frequent repair/service visits.

@thelatinst said:

Thanks. I haven’t yet spoken with the audiologists who would be fitting my hearing aids, but I trust the practice—my ENT is the one who performed my son’s tympanostomy, and the audiologists have been really good with my 18-month-old son. I will talk to the audiologist when I go in for my ABR test on March 3rd to get a feel for their style and make sure they do REM at fittings.

As for choosing the correct style, maybe you could help me get a feel for what to expect them to suggest. I’m a 37-year-old foreign language teacher with mild high-frequency hearing loss in my right ear and moderate-severe loss in my left following a recent ear infection. As you can imagine, speech clarity and accents are both important for my. From memory (I can’t find my audiogram right now) my hearing thresholds are:

[Edited: please see signature]

I am thinking an open-dome RIC, since I’ve got relatively good low-frequency response and I’m hoping to keep the sound as natural as possible, but I’d appreciate any insight you could offer. I would also like to hear your thoughts on one aid versus two for someone in my situation. Although my loss is mild in my right ear, I’m still having difficulty in phone conversations even with my right ear and, as I said, speech and language is my livelihood.

I’ve actually got conflicting information on that front. My summary of coverage states:

This jibes with my understanding of the current state of laws governing small-business plans in Connecticut. But on the phone this morning with a representative from the insurance company I was told I have a $5,000 coverage limit every 36 months and that balance billing is not allowed; I’m not sure how those two policies are compatible. I have my Certificate of Coverage on the way, and will peruse it carefully before proceeding any further toward a purchase.

Your right ear does NOT require a hearing aid. It is not even close. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise; turn up your telephone or get one that goes louder. As for the left ear, you are on the right track. A RIC style PREMIUM hearing aid with open dome will be best. I don’t really have any inclination to any manufacturer for this type of case, just avoid Oticon.

@barryian said:

Hi fuhgettaboutit - I just ordered a pair of HA’s from Costco and did some diligent homework. I have a mild loss, but annoying enough to constantly be using the word " What "?
Quite annoying! Looks like a dr below is ticked off at probably more Costco than you, understandably so. On the other hand, I visited Costco on a friends recommendation and am
quite glad I did. The audiologist was as sweetheart, very knowledgable and went as far as to lend me a pair of Rexton Charismo 2c"s to try for a weekend. Great job and never used the word what. No pressure at Costco to buy, pricing is quite affordable, not because of inferior products as they are top prime technology. They do take some features out as the one for tinnitus since they don’t want to be in that part of the medical business from my reading.

To cut to the chase, I ordered the Phonak Brio I-N in the canal. They did the mould and fitting to custom make the the HA’s. I’m hoping they do the job. If not, I can go back to another pair like the Rexton Charismo BTE.

QUESTION : After the above synopsis, can you explain more technical data on the Brio I-N in the canal HA’s as to how the wand works. Does the wand have up to 10
different programs or is the 10 cycles just volumes?. Also, approximately what type of battery life can one expect from these ? ( #10 ) …

What ever info you have, I’d appreciate it. hard to find much info since most of these are proprietary and made for Costco by the various manufacturers.

Thanks so much … Appreciate you being on here. Excuse the typos as I haven’t re-read …

Hi there! Love to hear that Unfortunately, I have not worked with that style of Phonak Brio yet, so I do not have valuable information to share about it. In respect to IIC style hearing aids however, MAKE SURE that it is 100% COMFORTABLE before you commit to keeping it. The professional should remake it until it is fitting comfortably. As far as programs go, I rarely give patients additional programs. Programs are only introduced on AS NEEDED basis. Same goes for volume control. I do not have additional information regarding the wand’s functions. As for battery life, I would expect around 3-5 days. It really depends on your hearing levels, wearing time and the amounts of sound that the hearing aid is processing. Hope this helps!

I would expect 1yr.

— Updated —

@Um_bongo said:

What sort of longevity do you get out of those mic wires? My customers’ ones seem to need fairly frequent repair/service visits.

I would expect about 1yr. They can usually be replaced in-house if I am not mistaken.

@fuhgettaboutit said:

Your right ear does NOT require a hearing aid. It is not even close. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise; turn up your telephone or get one that goes louder. As for the left ear, you are on the right track. A RIC style PREMIUM hearing aid with open dome will be best. I don’t really have any inclination to any manufacturer for this type of case, just avoid Oticon.

Why avoid Oticon? Is it something specific to my type of hearing loss? I’ve not heard many complaints about them, and people seem to love their Altas.

@barryian said:

QUESTION : After the above synopsis, can you explain more technical data on the Brio I-N in the canal HA’s as to how the wand works. Does the wand have up to 10
different programs or is the 10 cycles just volumes?

The Brio I-N can have up to 5 manual programs. Volume can be increased 5 steps and decreased 10 steps. The MiniControl wand can be set to program change, volume up, or volume down. It can’t do more than one function.

Thanks so much !!! I’m hoping the functionality is as good as the Rextons that I tried. If they don’t fit I don’t think I could deal with the mould process again. NOT pleasant.
In any event, I thank you for the info.
All the best …

To Rasmus - I’m not sure if I should just be using the plain Reply, Reply with Quotes or Advanced ? I wanted to thank fuhgettaboutit and had a question for Rasmus.

Rasmus_braun - The audiologist called her contact at the manufacturer re: the wand… You seem to know exactly how it works. She said it has 10 volume settings upwards and sequentially. She said you can’t backdown and it has to recycle which made no sense and she hadn’t had any experience with that model. The BTE’s were are the biggest seller over the ITC.
So, can the wand give you either programs or volume or both? Thanks rasmus_braun …