Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Why do hearing aids cost so much? Part 2

If hearing aids are so small and make such a big difference in the lives of hearing loss sufferers, why do they cost so much?  There are several factors in determining the price point for hearing technology.  In our last blog, we discussed the impact that research and development has on the pricing of hearing instruments.  In this post, we'll talk about how bundled services impact hearing aid pricing.

"Bundled pricing" refers to the services and accessories that an audiologist provides as part of the overall hearing aid purchase.  Audiologists understand that programming a hearing aid to account for an individual's hearing loss requires a significant input of time, precision, and skill.  The audiologist must take into account the frequencies where the hearing loss occurs, the individual's level of perception (people with the same hearing loss can "perceive and process" sound very differently), vowels and consonants the individual cannot understand, the presence of other maladies (such as tinnitus or hyperacusis), and the technological capabilities of the particular hearing aids throughout the hearing instrument fitting process.  This may require multiple visits throughout the lifetime of the hearing aid.  Also, because hearing loss increases over time and hearing aids should last 5-7 years, the audiologist must re-evaluate the individual every 1-2 years and adjust the hearing aids to compensate for any change in hearing.  For these reasons, some audiologists include the cost of these services in the price of the hearing instruments.  They feel that not including these services in the price of the hearing instruments would lead to several costly office visits, particularly those who require multiple adjustments or frequent cleanings to remove excessive wax build up.

At Appalachian Audiology, we include the following in the purchase price of all hearing instruments:
  • Follow up service that includes adjustments and cleanings for the life of the hearing aid
  • Generous Repair, Loss & Damage Warranties
  • 10 packs of batteries (60 batteries- should last for 10-12 months)
  • Dry 'n Store dehumidifier (for storing the hearing aids overnight)
  • Audiowipes to clean the hearing aids
For more information about bundled pricing, visit our website!

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