Hearing Aid Trial Period Explained

Transcript:

The hearing aid trial explained. That’s our topic today on Ask the Hearing Doctors.

Hi, I’m Jim Cuddy, and this is Ask the Hearing Doctors. And I’m joined today by Dr. Ana Anzola, doctor of audiology with Hearing Doctors. The Washington, D.C. area’s highest-rated audiology practice, with over 1500 5-star reviews. Ana, great to see you, as always.

Great to see you.

So, I love this program, the hearing aid trial. What is the extent of the trial period?

This is 30 days, and to me, this is my opportunity to test a hearing system on a patient. And in case it doesn’t work out, we have an opportunity to exchange it for a different product. And this is really a great opportunity for the patients to make sure that we’re doing a good job and that we are the best audiologist for them, really. So it really works both ways.

So, who’s eligible for the trial period?

Everybody.

Everyone?

Everyone.

Well, that’s nice. Are there special regulations around this trial period?

Yeah. So this state is regulated by the states, so Virginia, Maryland, we have a 30-day trial period. And again, it’s an opportunity for the patient to consider trying amplification if it’s warranted.

There doesn’t seem to really be any sort of negative side to this. I mean, it really seems like just the perfect thing for somebody coming in that is trying to figure out what they need as far as hearing aids.

Yeah, absolutely. And so, actually, it takes 30 days for the brain to adapt to amplification. So, hence the 30 days. So, it wasn’t just this number which just pulled out of the air is the studies have shown that this is how long it takes for the brain to adapt to hearing and listening again.

You also mentioned that this was a way for patients to not only get used to or adjust to the new hearing aids but also to kind of gauge their feelings towards the audiologist and the audiology practice.

Absolutely.

Does it work the other way around? Does it help you get some insight into the patient and the patient’s needs?

Yeah. And so, if there are any dexterity issues, we might have started with one model, but then during the course of the 30 days, we figured that a different model might be a little bit more appropriate. Or we started with option A, and we needed option B. Whether it’s the same manufacturer or a different manufacturer, we can make those changes and have those discussions.

All right. Now, let’s talk about that timeline. When does it start? When does it end, that hearing aid period?

So, good question. At delivery, not at ordering. We order the product, it comes in, we sign the purchase agreement. We both sign it. They sign it, I sign it. And this is the agreement that we have that we’re going to give this system an opportunity to work out.

And then what happens within that 30 days? Are patient and audiologist back and forth with each other? Or is it just you wear them for 30 days and then come back in?

No, it’s not that easy. Getting yourself acclimated to amplification, it takes time. There is usually a rehabilitation program that we also include some brain training, right? Fine tuning. I want to gauge, measure objectively how our patients are coming along and if there are any fine-tuning adjustments that need to be done, this is really the opportunity to do it.

All right. Now, I have to address this because hearing aids can be tiny. They can be in your hands, and all of a sudden they’re not in your hands. What happens if you lose a hearing aid or hearing aid, it’s both of them, during the trial period?

Yeah, that’s unfortunate. It has happened, but if you break something, you buy it. It’s the same thing. You kind of buy it. So, you’re only eligible to get something that I can return back to the manufacturer, and then they can give us the opportunity to do something else to either return it fully. But most people do not give up on their hearing, and so we find the solutions that will work out.

Now, what happens in the event that I get to the end of this trial period, I’m just not happy with these hearing aids.

We’re going to have a conversation as to why you’re not happy with it because most people are going to be very happy and satisfied. But this is my 100% satisfaction for you. I’m going to work tirelessly to make sure that this product or this model is going to be the best solution. But in the event that it doesn’t work out, then there’s the money-back guarantee. It’s $200 per hearing aid or per aid that we end up keeping to cover our services, our professional services and restocking fees.

Now, I have this hearing aid. I’m at the end of the period. I don’t like that hearing aid. I would like to try this one over here, though. Do I get a whole new trial period?

Absolutely.

So, we start over and we keep going until I’m happy with what I’ve got in my ears?

Absolutely. That is my guarantee to you that we’re going to try it and that you’re going to wear it. Because the sound quality of one brain may be very different, which could be the reason why you weren’t satisfied in the first place. Or that the model is maybe deeper into the ear. And anytime you go deeper into closer to the eardrum, you’re doubling the sound pressure level, which means it’s going to sound a little different. And so there are acoustic properties that will differ depending on the model.

The key here is to go see the audiologist, get your ears tested, get fitted properly, and if you don’t like it, get refitted again properly until you find what you want. And that’s the advantage of coming to Hearing Doctors and talking to an audiologist.

Absolutely. And we do follow best practices, and that’s part of it. It’s making sure that our patients are fully satisfied.

There’s so much in life that you can miss if you don’t hear properly, and there are a lot of ways to avoid that. And it starts with the audiologist. Ana, thank you so much for your time.

Thank you so much.

If you’re in the Washington Metropolitan area and you’d like to schedule an appointment with Hearing Doctors, click the link in the description or visit hearingdoctors.com.