Co-Author: Leon-Vincent Fonai

It is important for hearing care professionals to understand – and address – patients’ common concerns about the cost-effectiveness of hearing aids. Some patients worry about investing significant money in hearing aids after receiving mixed reviews about their performance.

Since some customers don’t understand (or notice) the differences between lower and higher-priced devices, they wonder why anyone would pay extra money for higher-end models. But if patients are properly fitted – and given the most appropriate solutions for their specific needs – the differences between a lower-priced hearing aid and a high-end model are huge.

First, let's break down what the performance-to-price ratio means in hearing care. 

Patients are frequently concerned about the high costs of hearing care. They may have perceived stigmas around hearing aids, including their high price point. In fact, cost is the most common reason that people with hearing loss don’t get hearing aids. Problems include:

Lack of understanding
Many people don’t understand why there’s a significant price range between low-priced hearing aid options and more expensive models. They may not realize that higher-end devices are equipped with more features, functions, and technologies than lower-priced models. Some audiologists don’t explain the differences between the various brands and models available. And some clinicians don’t ask about their patients’ lifestyle, budget, hearing goals, and other needs, so they can’t properly recommend customized solutions for each customer. In these cases, patients didn’t have the proper information necessary to make informed decisions about their hearing health.

Audiologists who are too focused on sales metrics
Sometimes, clinicians are more focused on hitting sales numbers than they are about patients’ hearing health. They may be so preoccupied with reaching financial metrics that they’re pushing higher-end models to their customers. Patients may feel “scammed” because their clinicians are recommending more expensive models to collect bigger commissions. 

Devices that don’t work properly
Sometimes, patients invest substantial money in hearing aids, but feel like the devices aren’t working properly. They may not be able to understand conversations in noisy environments, or they may find that certain sounds – including their own voice – seem too loud and intense. These patients may get frustrated about spending money on hearing aids that aren’t working properly, believing they didn’t get their “money’s worth” from their investment.

Luckily, all these issues are easily fixable, with the following solutions:

Ask about each patient’s goals, lifestyle, and budget
You should know more about each patient than just the severity of their hearing loss! Ask about their hearing goals, and what they hope to accomplish with the hearing aids. Learn more about their lifestyle, hobbies, and budget, as these will influence your hearing aid recommendations – e.g., if they’re social vs. a homebody, if they spend significant time outside, if they’re a musician or attend concerts, etc. Consider all these factors when recommending hearing aids.

Optimize acoustic coupling
If a patient is having trouble hearing with their hearing aids, try different types of acoustic coupling. In acoustic coupling, you’ll place a dome or custom earpiece over the hearing aids, “sealing off” the ear canal so sound has to travel through the hearing aids. This makes the devices work more effectively for many people. Sometimes you may need to try several different types of acoustic coupling to find the best solution for a patient.

Let them compare different models
If a patient is questioning the difference between lower- and higher-end options, encourage them to try and compare. First, let them try a lower-end model. Fit them properly and explain what these devices offer – and what they don’t provide. If their goal is to understand speech in noise, explain that lower-end devices may not filter out ambient sounds as well as higher priced models do. Let them try the hearing aids for a week or two, then fit them with higher-end devices. Explain the additional features, functions, and technologies that these models offer, then let them try the higher-end hearing aids for a few weeks to experience the difference. If both models were fitted properly – and it was the right recommendation in the first place – they should notice a dramatic difference between the two, especially if they live a flexible lifestyle.

Emphasize outcomes, not profits
While some clinicians may be focused on sales and profits, if you focus on patient care, you’ll be more profitable in the long run. Focus on the whole patient, asking about their lifestyle, goals and budget. Explain why you’re recommending a particular solution. Empower them to be part of the decision. Encourage them to try the devices before they buy. Fit them properly. Demonstrate that you care about their well-being. Over the long term, this will do more to boost your clinic’s sales and profits than trying to up-sell your customers from day one.

Troubleshoot problems
If a patient tested two hearing aids – one at a low price point and one at a higher price point – and didn’t hear any difference, it’s likely due to an improper fit. There should be a huge difference between the low- and high-end hearing aids’ effectiveness. If not, try selecting a different type of acoustic coupling. If the first selected acoustic coupling didn’t work, the dome or earmold could have been too “open” with too many holes that let in the surrounding noise, or maybe it had an improper fit. If the patient experienced sounds that felt too “intense” or weird, perhaps the earpiece was hitting the jawbone, leading vibrations from the body into the ear canal, causing their own voice to sound intense.  Fix that issue with a nugget or shark bite, creating a space between the earpiece and the bone, eliminating the vibrations and the “intense” sounds associated with them.

Improve fitting
Studies have shown that using REM during hearing aid fittings results in better outcomes and happier customers. By fitting hearing aids properly the first time, patients will have fewer problems in the future. Since REM can accurately measure patients’ hearing with their hearing aids, it takes the “guesswork” out of the exam and can help you get fittings right the first time.

Explain to your patients – the various factors that affect hearing aids’ performance (and price). These include:

Technology Levels
There’s a range of technology levels available in today’s hearing aids, and these different levels all affect performance (and price!). It’s important to educate patients about the different tech functions and features, as well as what kind of expectations are realistic to have with the various levels of technology – and the corresponding price points. For instance, a patient won’t understand speech in a noisy environment as well with a lower-level device (with lower-level technology) as they would with a higher-end device. 

Features and Benefits
Similarly, there are key features (e.g., noise reduction, focus on speech) that can enhance the user experience and justify a higher price point. It can be helpful to touch upon the emotional side of the user experience, such as, “Chances are that a lower-level hearing aid model won’t have the technology level or features that you’ll need to understand speech well in certain environments, like noisy restaurants or crowded bars. This may be more of a problem than you think. You’ll likely have to focus hard during conversations and might not understand everything that your friends and family are saying to you.”  

Durability and Warranty
Long-term durability and comprehensive warranties can contribute to cost-effectiveness.

Transparent Pricing
Hearing care professionals should be transparent in their pricing and explain what patients should look for in the devices they’re considering. Price transparency is important because it empowers patients to make more informed decisions about their hearing aid purchases. For instance, when hearing clinics are upfront about hearing aid prices, patients can compare hearing aid costs – as well as features, quality, technology, etc. – across different brands and models. Patients can then decide whether the benefits of certain upgrades (e.g., Bluetooth connectivity, remote control, speech enhancement, rechargeable batteries, etc.) are worth the higher price point. 

Insurance and Financing Options
Provide information on insurance coverage, subsidies, or financing plans that can affect the overall cost of the hearing aids. Be forthcoming with this information, offering these details before the customer even has to ask. This will show that you’re proactively trying to help make the hearing aids affordable and accessible for the customer, and that you genuinely care about the customer’s hearing health and well-being. Since cost is a barrier to care for many people, it’s critical that you do all that you can to help your patients access an affordable solution.

Emphasize the importance of a thorough needs assessment to ensure patients pay for features they actually need. Ask each patient about their lifestyle, daily routines, hobbies, etc., as well as their hearing goals. That way, you’re better equipped to recommend hearing aids with the features they want, need, and will use – and won’t suggest models with superfluous features that would be a waste of their money.

Encourage each patient to compare different brands and models to find the best value proposition. Also encourage them to try hearing aids at different price points to experience the difference between the high and low models. When they experience the difference for themselves, they’ll be more likely to make a more informed purchasing decision.

Consultations with experienced audiologists can help patients make informed decisions. It’s so important for people to find the right audiologist, who asks about their lifestyle, listens to their goals and needs, and explains their recommendations and why they’re suggesting a particular model over the other available options. It’s also important for audiologists to respect each patient’s budget comfort zone and find solutions within those parameters. Also, an audiologist fits every hearing aid optimally, which allows a patient to truly compare different devices. You can’t compare a BMW with a Mercedes if one vehicle has wooden wheels. Hearing aids need to be “trimmed” right, with optimal acoustic coupling, etc., for the patient to be able to truly compare them.

Provide Proper Aftercare
Your relationship with a patient shouldn’t end when they purchase their hearing aids. In fact, aftercare is a critical part of each patient’s hearing care journey.  Be sure patients understand how to care for their devices, including how to clean and store the devices, change or charge the batteries, and troubleshoot common problems.

Regular Servicing 
Highlight how regular maintenance can extend the life of hearing aids and improve functionality over time. Schedule regular cleaning and service appointments with each patient to keep their devices working optimally over the long term. This will help them get the most “bang” for their buck.

Upgrades and Adjustments
Discuss the potential for future upgrades or adjustments to enhance the devices’ performance without significant additional costs. For instance, some manufacturers allow customers to buy a less expensive hearing aid and then upgrade later by paying the price difference for higher-end devices by the same brand.

It’s also possible to add accessories to a customer’s hearing aids. Some brands allow customers to add accessories, such as selecting a menu to use their smartphone as a remote microphone for their hearing aids. Then, they can connect their hearing aids via Bluetooth to transmit this microphone to their hearing aids. There are also dedicated remote microphones that provide better sound quality. This can be helpful for professional meetings, university lectures, etc., serving as value-add features for the hearing aid user. Work closely with each patient to ensure that they’re getting the most for their money when they buy hearing aids. It’s up to you – as their clinician – to ensure the best performance-to-price ratio in hearing care, so your customers get the most value for their investment.