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Hearing Aids Online -- New York Times Q&A

On March 6, 2013 The New York Times ran the second in a series of Q&A pieces with Neil J DiSarno, chief staff officer at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The series of articles addresses topics of interest from hearing aid prices to new hearing aid technologies. In this article Mr. DiSarno recommended that consumers avoid buying hearing aids online.

We have assessed Mr. DiSarno’s reasons for warning against online hearing aid purchasing, and we agree with each of them – which is why we designed Embrace Hearing to sidestep each potential issue with online purchasing.

While Mr. Disarno acknowledges that purchasing online can reduce hearing aid costs and provide consumers with convenient options, he warns that:

“A hearing aid is a complex medical device, not a simple sound amplifier”

We agree – that’s why we sell state-of the art hearing aids directly comparable to hearing aids sold by audiologists

Hearing aids have digital technology that can be set by an audiologist to meet your personal hearing needs”

We agree – that’s why our 100% Board Certified specialists program each set of hearing aids to our customers’ individual hearing loss profiles, based on a combination of their hearing test results, and any specific customer requests

“Hearing aid bought online without a complete hearing test and other necessary hearing therapy/treatment services may not meet your needs”

We agree – that’s why we require that each customer undergo a professionally administered hearing test, prior to ordering hearing aids online

“Setting hearing aids for your needs requires specific computer software that audiologists may not have access to if the devices were bought online. For some online businesses, getting the hearing aid settings changed may only be possible by shipping the hearing aid back to the manufacturer, which means you will have to go without your hearing aid for a while.

We agree – that’s why we will supply the necessary software to any audiologist who doesn’t already have access. We do offer by-mail reprogramming – for free – because some customers prefer the flexibility of not paying for adjustments, and not having to make an in-person appointment. We also support customers who seek in-person adjustments, and will even work to facilitate these in-person visits (though we don’t receive any fee for doing so).

Online hearing screens cannot tell you the cause of hearing loss — the cause may be something as minor as too much earwax or as serious as a brain tumor.

We agree – that’s why we require every customer to undergo a professionally administered hearing test, prior to buying hearing aids online

 

The F.D.A. strongly recommends that you see a physician to rule out medical causes of hearing loss before buying hearing aids. If your doctor determines your hearing loss is not medically treatable, ask to be referred to a licensed audiologist to see if you are a candidate for hearing aids.

We agree – We require each customer who buys hearing aids online to submit a waiver that acknowledges understanding of the F.DA.’s recommendation.

Audiologists are professionals who can provide adjustment and programming of the devices, counseling, hearing training and support when you obtain hearing aids from them. Hearing aids bought online do not include these services

We agree – however we believe that the model of “bundling” hearing aids and follow-on services serves no purpose except to obfuscate the true costs of the product and the service, and allow audiologists to charge more for the services than they would be able to, if they charged on an easier-to-understand visit-by-visit basis. We'll go into more detail on the price of hearing aid follow-on services in a future entry.

Mr. DiSarno has assembled a number of convincing reasons to avoid many online hearing aid vendors. However, we believe strongly that none of these reasons applies to Embrace Hearing.

We do not believe all consumers should buy hearing aids online. But we do believe strongly in consumer choice, and we  believe that customers can evaluate for themselves the wisdom of paying $5,000+ for hearing aids in person or $1,000 - $2,000 online, for near-identical devices.

Finally, we believe that since 27 million Americans are living with untreated hearing loss, the legacy distribution system of brick & mortar audiologist practices is failing many of the people it is theoretically supposed to help -- largely because the inefficiencies of running individual practices with high fixed costs forces audiologists to charge through the nose, pricing millions of consumers out of the market.

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The X-Series Models

Vs
  • Compare to:

  • Our price per ear/pair:

  • ? This is the number of frequency bands we use to program your hearing aids to the results of your hearing test. The hearing aid then uses these bands to re-build sound to meet the needs of your hearing loss. The greater the number of bands, the better the sound quality delivered to you.
    Programable bands/channels

  • ? Our comprehensive warranty covers any manufacturer defects including free replacement of rechargeable batteries and receivers as well as half price one-time loss and irreparable damage replacement. In addition, during the warranty, there is no charge for reprogramming or adjustments.
    Warranty (and Loss Insurance)

  • ? Connects directly to your smartphone (or other Android or Apple device). Two way streaming enables completely hands free calls. Add our TV Connector for direct streaming from your TV so you can adjust your TV volume without affecting the sound for others.
    Bluetooth for completeley hands-free calls

  • ? Although the software on these hearings makes adjustments seldom necessary, it is possible to change the volume and some manual settings using either the free smartphone App or the buttons on the aids. An optional hand held remote is also available.
    Volume and Program Control

  • ? We offer a choice of disposable 312 battery or lithium ion rechargeable battery on some models. The rechargeable battery will perform for up to 24 hours after a 3 hour charge. The disposable batteries will last 3-7 days depending on hours of use, level of hearing loss and amount of Bluetooth streaming. A year’s supply of size 312 batteries currently costs about $30/year/aid.
    Power Source

  • ? The hearing aid's software automatically identifies and adjusts to changes in your sound environment (e.g. From a quiet car to a noisy restaurant) so no manual adjustments are needed.
    Automatically adjusts to your environment

  • ? This is the best technology for group situations. It provides optimal speech understanding from all directions by dynamically scanning your environment to focus on the active speaker in your immediate vicinity.
    LiveSpeechFocus

  • ? While most people find that the restoration of high frequency hearing through the use of properly programmed hearing aids significantly improves tinnitus symptoms, there is more we can do. All of our hearing aids come with a tinnitus management program. This is not a cure but it can further help alleviate tinnitus symptoms through the use of a self-adjustable 'white noise' sound in the background.
    Tinnitus Manager Program

  • ? BiCROS hearing aid progamming is for people who have unaidable hearing loss in one ear but have some level of hearing in the other. You would wear hearing aids on both ears. We program them so a microphone picks up sounds from the weak ear and transmits them to wirelessly to the ear with better hearing.
    BiCROS programming

  • ? REMOTE PROGRAMMING - With the X-550 and X-950 models, we can make adjustments to you hearing aids remotely. You would explain the issue to our Audiologists and the new program would be uploaded to your hearing aids automatically (via Bluetooth).
    Remote Programming

  • ? TELECOIL - The telecoil is also known as a T-coil, or T-switch. When activated, the telecoil permits the transmission of sound from a "Hearing Loop" sometimes found in public spaces and theaters. If you require this feature, please call us for details at (888) 929-9555.
    Telecoil

  • Colors

The C-Series Models

Vs
  • Compare to:

  • Our price per ear/pair:

  • ? This is the number of frequency bands we use to program your hearing aids to the results of your hearing test. The hearing aid then uses these bands to re-build sound to meet the needs of your hearing loss. The greater the number of bands, the more natural the sound and the better the performance in more challenging situations, like restaurants.
    Programable bands/channels

  • ? Our comprehensive warranty covers any manufacturer defects including free replacement of rechargeable batteries and receivers as well as half price one-time loss and irreparable damage replacement. In addition, during the warranty, there is no charge for reprogramming or adjustments.
    Warranty (and Loss Insurance)

  • ? Although the software on these hearings makes adjustments seldom necessary, it is possible to change the volume and some manual settings using the Android/Apple smartphone App or optional hand held remote.
    Volume and Program Control

  • ? The disposable size 10 batteries on these hearing aids will last about 4-6 days depending on hours of use and level of hearing loss. A year’s supply of size 10 batteries currently costs about $30/year/aid.
    Power Source

  • ? The hearing aid's software automatically identifies and adjusts to changes in your sound environment (e.g. From a quiet car to a noisy restaurant) so no manual adjustments are needed.
    Automatically adjusts to your environment

  • ? This is the best technology for group situations. It provides optimal speech understanding from all directions by dynamically scanning your environment to focus on the active speaker in your immediate vicinity.
    LiveSpeechFocus

  • ? While most people find that the restoration of high frequency hearing through the use of properly programmed hearing aids significantly improves tinnitus symptoms, there is more we can do. All of our hearing aids come with a tinnitus management program. This is not a cure but it can further help alleviate tinnitus symptoms through the use of a self-adjustable 'white noise' sound in the background.
    Tinnitus Manager Program

  • ? BiCROS hearing aids are designed for people who have unaidable hearing loss in one ear but have some level of hearing in the other. You would wear hearing aids on both ears. A microphone picks up sounds from the weak ear and transmits it to wirelessly to the ear with better hearing
    BiCROS programming

  • ? With the C-540 and C-940 models, we can make adjustments to you hearing aids remotely. You would explain the issue to our Audiologists and the new program would be uploaded to your hearing aids automatically.
    Remote programming and adjustments

  • Telecoil

  • Colors

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