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Audiogram

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After reading posts on access to , would add that Specsavers, Aberdeen have just confirmed, that if I wish to take away a hard copy of my audiogram from the free hearing check, then I will be charged £59. If no copy taken, then no charge.

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Did you buy a from them? If you did a free hearing test and asked for the to buy a HA online somewhere then I can understand the fee.

But if you have purchased one from them then the fee sounds unfair.

Presumably this is "if you pay for the service we give you the results and if you don't pay for the service we don't give you the results" not a cost for a piece of paper. Problem with "free" hearing tests.

If you can't take a photo, they'll probably send it to your doctor no charge and then you can get it from your doctor.

Not sure if a picture would be allowed either. Key point for me was that Specsavers should communicate, along with the wealth of relevant information provided on their website, if a copy, or photo of the would be available at the appointment, and if so, whether or not there would be a charge for it. Otherwise, the customer could only find out at the appointment that the "free" appointment did not include a hard copy of the result, and the customer would have the unanticipated option of paying £59, finding another audiologist, or having to consider purchasing the significantly more expensive cost of brand-name observed at Specsavers. Finally, on a chat today with Specsavers online (human), it was confirmed to me that a hard copy of the audiogram would be provided after the test.... but no mention of a cost.

Agreed, the audiologist's time/markup cost has to be recovered by Sp. Would, personally, prefer to pay a charge for the and get a hard copy. Then I can go to any supplier I wish for my choice of . Currently, the customer is unaware that he/she will have to pay for the audiogram, and could therefore, ultimately, be heavily influenced to go along with the Sp recommendation for their own HA (Specsavers Advance), as there is no audiogram available to him/her to pass to a supplier other than Sp, who will need the audiogram in order to accurately match the customer's requirement and HA preference.

In reply to @Um_bongo

Um_bongo, I can't answer your question. By I will say that for my next audiologist visit I expect to pay about $200 to $300 for an . That is with the understanding that I will not necessarily buy a hearing aid from them and that I will be provided a copy.

This is an apple to oranges comparison, but: I recently was treated with superficial radiation therapy for skin cancer. Twenty sessions, with a radiation therapist, not an MD. The price was $240 for each session, each lasting no more than 10 minutes. (I paid $50 per session, health insurance paid the balance.)

@portage said:

By I will say that for my next audiologist visit I expect to pay about $200 to $300 for an audiogram.

No way mate, that would be outrageous price for such a basic undertaking, you shouldn't pay more then $60- $80 for this, most clinics charge what they can get, so shop around to get the deal that suits you. As to what one's worth to do it,well how long is piece of string?

In reply to @tenkan

There’s a bit of an issue with location context here. Prevailing rates will be hugely different depending on location, the seniority of the tester and several other factors including the popularity of the location.

Testing for ‘free’ is only available where the Clinic has determined that the likelihood of your purchase is greater if they get you across the threshold on that basis.

If you want to get a test for your own ‘utility’ it’s basically free rein as to what they charge to recoup the opportunity cost of the sale/client facing time you wasted in their office.

In reply to @Bimodal_user

, I was thinking tonal only. In order for my health insurance to reimburse me for hearing aids (they pitch in $2,500 every fifth year for and any testing) they require I go to one of the audiologists on their approved list for an audiogram and recommendation as to what kind of HA. I can purchase the HA from anywhere as long as it is one of the ones recommended. So I believe a tonal audiogram is all that is required, but I'll have to check on that to be sure.

In reply to @Um_bongo

, I just checked what my health insurance requires from the audiologist: "Comprehensive audio metric testing or other age appropriate testing, including date, type of testing and results that demonstrate greater than 26dB hearing loss ()."

Edited

The interoperator and repeatability of Threshold Audiometry is ~5+db. On a log scale, remember.

Reproducibility can be dependent on features that testing of the Neuropsychiatric Testing panels better elicit.

The data is a cloud , not a point or line, so one test is going to give only an incomplete picture.

Speech in noise is even more variable, and often parameters are not consistent.

So , I got several tests and charted them.

It costs the audiology guys $500-1000 to get somebody in the door (citation somewhere). They have capital, personnel, and time invested. Nobody agrees on a fair margin, so the market makes one up. I'm not a looky-loo, but we ain't playing the same game. It's somewhere in the space occupied by the makeup counter at Sephora, a mattress store and a new car lot. Pretends to be the Stereo section of Best Buy

And still this is only part of the map.

Give me a bid for the work up front, and it's a free market. Give me two pages of 2-pica mouse print, and try and burn me on the way out, and it's a rumble in the jungle.

It would be more honest if clinicians charged for the value of their time rather than incorporating it the cost of goods purchased by those who choose to do something about their hearing. Free hearing tests aren't really free, they're loss leaders. Either you or someone else ends up paying for them. If free tests weren't available, audiologists would find it much easier to compete against multinational corporations who care more about profit than people.

There are two parties spending their time here. It could be said that op is giving up their time to allow the audiologist to sell to them. Maybe... If all they come away with is a quick look at a computer screen and the audiologist's assertion that they need hearing aids, then it wasn't really a 'hearing test' at all and they've been duped of their time.

Discuss.

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