January 2016 | Pacific Northwest Audiology

1.25.16

It’s January 25 and most of us have already broken our New Years Resolutions, so we can all relax and get on with our lives. Actually, Dr. Li and I are always striving to live better, serve others better, and have fun while we are at it…so we can enjoy friends and New Years without guilt! Progress continues at a steady clip on the building; the sheet rock has created walls, electrical systems are in place, and we are still on target for a late March move-in date. But, wisdom from ages past dictates that “stuff happens when you least …

01.13.16

Our white Christmas and white New Years are behind us and 2016 is well in the race to 2017. But as Robert Frost said “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But we have promises to keep, And miles to go before we sleep, And miles to go before we sleep.” Progress continues steadily on our new building; insulation is going into the walls in preparation for dry walls next week, and our IT partner, Weston Technology Solutions is coordinating with Taylor NW to ensure a good IT infrastructure. We are running a bit ahead of schedule, despite the occasional rain, snow, and ice…and …

Patient-Centered Hearing-Health Care vs. Sales-Centered Hearing Care

The Bottom Line The following table compares the professional business model, represented by doctor-level audiologist such as those working at Pacific Northwest Audiology, and the corporate business model, represented by “Big Box”, manufacturing, and franchise retailers. The bottom line is that when you select a hearing care provider you also accept their business model…and the consequences of that model. You can choose patient-centered hearing-health care by a Doctor of Audiology, or volume sales-centered care by a technician. Given the increasing evidence linking medical, emotional, and social consequences to hearing loss, we hope the table guides you to your best choice for a hearing …

Audiologist or Dispenser – Part 1

Introduction We have many customers who initially responded to “Big Box” discount advertising or hearing aid franchise promises, only to discover later that their discounted products weren’t as cheap as the promises that brought them into the store, and their expensive new hearing aids didn’t help them communicate any better than they did before laying down a large chunk of cash. As it turned out, most of the problems were caused by minimally trained technicians with little knowledge of hearing science, or the inherent complexity of matching hearing aid technology to individual hearing loss. To the store’s benefit, however, many of these technicians were quite adept at …