Hearing Economics

Last week’s post ended in high dudgeon at the prospect of hearing professionals violating the Harm Principle by foregoing flu shots.  In the meantime, the flu marches on:  For the second week in a row,  flu deaths exceeded the epidemic threshold; 49.6% of hospital flu admissions were in those 65 and over, 48 states reported the highest category of flu activity

Anyone who picked up a newspaper or turned on the news on January 10th knows that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is tracking an “overwhelming” influenza outbreak across the US that is thought to grow more vicious before it abates.{{1}}[[1]]At the same time, the CDC has reported the largest outbreak of pertussis in the US in 60 years

As promised, here’s an update of interesting hearing technology patents — the list is long but it only encompasses the last two months of 2012.  I think you’ll agree, it looks like a Christmas wish list — hearing aids that tell you how your body’s doing, that find themselves, that test your hearing, that do real-ear; nanotechnology penetrating the tympanic

Last year’s top Hearing Economics post  listed some US patents granted in the hearing industry. The list may have stimulated readership, so another cherry-picked list of recent patents will show up in next week’s post and will be updated every few months.  In the meantime, today’s post looks at the exciting afterlife of patents in biotechnology.  Patent Wars   Not

This multi-part series begins here: Back to the Future, Part I: Are we retailers?    This series checks in on predictions made by Lars Kolind in the late 1990s, published in the final chapter{{1}}[[1]]Jerger JJ, Skafte MD, Kolind L. The future of audiology practice management.  Chapter 21. In Hosford-Dunn H, Roeser R, & Valente, M. (2000). Audiology: Practice Management (1st Ed). NY:

Today’s post comes from Guest Editor Ryan Kalef, an Audiologist practicing in the Greater Vancouver area of BC (see his bio at the end of this post). It describes the economic conundrum of providing services in scarcely populated areas in Canada and Government policy innovations put in place in one province, but not another.   The post should interest  many readers, not

“The secret of success is to get up early, work late and strike oil.” John D Rockefeller Recent posts at Hearing Economics have put forth the position that independent hearing healthcare providers — Audiologists and dispensers — are like wheat farmers, in the sense that they are toiling away in fields, under the hot sun, hoping their harvest is not

Hearing Economics went out on a testimonial limb two weeks ago by describing one Audiologist’s positive interactions with a local Costco dispensing operation.  The Audiologist was me and I braced myself for an onslaught of insults and vituperation from colleagues.  Remarkably, that has not happened (yet) and I’ve canceled my reservation for the witness protection program.  Readers’ comments were measured and

Innovation also means finding  ways to adapt.  Editor’s Caveat:  This is the 3rd in a series that reveals cost cutting measures in tiny, independent practices under duress.  In my case,  our 1.5-person, part-time practice is in a locale hit hard by rapid changes in hearing healthcare.  We think about reducing marginal costs all the time and the more we think, the

Am I suggesting that everyone go work for Costco? No, but I think those who do probably deserve more respect than they get.  David Kirkwood The hearing impaired should be offered the widest possible selection of instrumentation and dispensing models.  One size does not fit everyone.   K. Ray Katz  Costco has rapidly emerged as the second largest US retailer of