You see it in newspaper ads, mailings, billboards and on television—“Buy one get one free!” or “Half off hearing aids!” or “$395 for a limited time only!” Whether you are buying for yourself or an aging parent, hearing professionals say you should make an educated decision when purchasing a hearing instrument.
But how do you know who to trust?
Experts in the field share tips for finding the right hearing aid distributor, understanding the different roles of hearing health professionals and protecting yourself as a consumer.
Who needs a hearing aid?
Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the in the United States, says Bill Morgan, owner of Advanced Hearing Systems in Virginia Beach and former president of the Virginia Hearing Aid Society. Thirty-six million adults in the U.S. report some degree of hearing loss yet less than 25 percent have done anything about it.
Some people put off getting hearing aids because they are perceived as unstylish or just for the elderly. However, as audiologist Jean Couchman, owner of Hearing Solutions in Midlothian, explains to her patients: “Your hearing loss is far more obvious than any hearing aid we could give you.”
Early detection and treatment of hearing loss is important, says Chris Maher, owner of Healthy Hearing Now! in Virginia Beach. Although hearing aids will not correct the loss, they can protect the hearing you do have. And waiting to get a hearing aid can actually make your hearing worse, Maher warns.
“Use it or lose it,” he says. “You can’t get back what’s already gone.”
Which hearing professional is right for you?
There are essentially three types of hearing professionals:
An ENT physician—or ear, nose and throat doctor (also called an otolaryngologist)—is versed in surgical procedures and diseases of the ears.
An audiologist is a doctor who performs comprehensive exams and diagnoses and manages disorders of the ears. Audiologists do not perform surgery, so they refer patients to ENTs when they believe there is an issue that requires surgery.
Hearing aid/instrument specialists do fittings and make referrals to doctors when they recognize abnormalities, according to Sandy Burkes-Campbell, director of Maico Audiological Services in Chesapeake, Smithfield and Newport News.
Audiologists and ENTs often work together, says Jude Liptak, a doctor of audiology (Au.D.) and founder of Colonial Center for Hearing in Williamsburg. Liptak says audiologists refer patients to ENTs when they encounter issues that they believe are surgically fixable, while ENTs typically refer patients to audiologists for their specialized knowledge of hearing aids. Although ENTs can obtain hearing instrument specialist licensure and sell hearing aids, they typically do not.
An audiologist’s responsibilities change depending on their work environment, explains Cathleen Matthews, Au.D, who works at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. Audiologists can work in private practice, hospitals, public and private schools or rehabilitative centers. In addition to fitting patients for hearing aids, they can evaluate many hearing and balance disorders, monitor the hearing nerve, diagnose and treat disorders of the ear, remove earwax and more.
If the patient is looking for only hearing aids, seek a qualified licensed professional,” Matthews explains.
“Depending on what the patient is looking for, an audiologist can provide a wider range of services.”
It is frustrating when people assume that audiologists and hearing aid specialists are the same in terms of their responsibilities and levels of required education, Liptak admits.
In addition to having to obtain hearing aid specialist licensure, audiologists are required to hold masters or doctorate degrees in audiology and are required to earn 30 hours in continuing education credits to maintain their audiologist credentials, explains Liptak. In addition to this, recent legislation requires all newly graduating audiologists to obtain doctorates in the field.
The minimum educational requirement for hearing aid specialists to qualify for licensure is a high school diploma or the equivalent, and there is no continuing education requirement to renew licensure.
However, three local hearing aid specialists say much more is required.
It would be impossible to be a career hearing aid specialist without continuing your education, says Jessica Passarelli, Healthy Hearing Now! hearing aid specialist who also has a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Hearing aid companies are constantly making changes to their software and to the hearing aids. Attending conferences, taking online tutorials, distance learning and associate degree programs in hearing instrument science are all ways to stay up to date, explains Morgan, who adds that his experience as a corpsman and interest in medicine drew him into the field.
Some hearing aid specialists join professional organizations that offer weekend workshops and full-length courses. Organizations like the International Hearing Society require their members to earn 18 to 24 continuing education hours every two years to sustain their membership.
“If you see that someone is board certified in hearing instrument science and is a member of IHS, you know that they are supporting the community and they are supporting the ethics and standards that the industry would like us to have,” Morgan says.
Who’s qualified to sell hearing aids?
It used to be that audiologists performed hearing evaluations and hearing aid specialists sold hearing aids, Morgan explains.
Today audiologists account for 50 percent of the 602 professionals with hearing instrument licenses in Virginia, explains Demetrios Melis, board administrator for the Licensing and Regulation division of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation Board (DPOR).
All hearing professionals must obtain licensure through DPOR to dispense hearing aids in Virginia. To obtain licensure, audiologists and hearing aid specialists must meet preliminary requirements, get a temporary license so they can gain experience working in the field under the supervision of a licensed sponsor and pass a board-regulated exam to earn licensure and the title of hearing aid/instrument specialist—a title all hearing aid distributors, including audiologists, carry in Virginia. Only after the licensed sponsor has provided verification of training and the temporary license holder has met all other requirements can they takethe examination, Melis explains.
Audiologists are not required to take the audiometric or speech audiometry sections of the exam, but they are required to take the ear mold impression and hearing-aid maintenance sections of the test, Melis explains.
Prospective distributors are required to pass all of their required sections to achieve licensure, he adds.
Without state licensure, it is illegal for anyone to sell hearing aids in Virginia. “The goal is public safety,” Melis says. If you are unsure if a person is licensed or if you have a concern or complaint, contact DPOR.
Before You Purchase a Hearing Aid:
- Consult your physician first because he or she can advise you as to whether or not you can benefit from a hearing device, Melis advises. Your doctor can also rule out ailments that may present as hearing loss, like ear infections and an overabundance of wax.
- It is always a good idea to start your search with referrals from friends and family members who wear hearing aids, says Elaine Kreitzer of Virginia Beach, who has been wearing hearing aids for three years.
- After consulting friends and family members (and your physician), Couchman encourages prospective buyers to research each prospective hearing professional’s website because that will give you an indication of who you are dealing with. Find out their office policies, get testimonials and find out what products and services they offer. If they have multiple offices and the website does not list the name or names of the professionals working there, be wary, Couchman says.
- Both Couchman and Maher advise interviewing candidates over the phone and even visiting their office prior to setting up an appointment. If they are friendly, respectful and helpful, that is a good place to start, Couchman says. “Make sure you’re a great fit for each other because you’re going to be friends for a long time.”
- All of the professionals agree that the hearing aid distributor should work with the patient in terms of type of hearing loss, comfort/fit of a device and budget.
- Make sure everything about the hearing aid purchase is in writing, from the price to the services and maintenance they offer. Find out if there are any additional or hidden charges for returning the hearing aid, and read the fine print before making any purchase, Maher advises. State regulations require you have a 30-day trial period.
- Both Liptak and Maher say you should be wary of anyone coming in from out of state, without an office, explaining that they have a deal that is only good today. Also be suspicious of people selling hearing aids door to door.
- Experts warn against purchasing hearing aids online because there may be no way of knowing who is programing the device, what you are getting or if it can be serviced locally.