Where Can I Go To Buy My Next Hearing Aid?

By Author: matt lex
Total Articles: 2
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If this is the first time that you have had to look for a hearing aid, it may be a very confusing and daunting task. It is critical to find the perfect place in a professional setting to buy your next set of hearing aids. Pricing can range from a couple thousand dollars to more than six thousand for a pair of hearing aids. Since you are probably going to have to do this again down the road, you need to make sure that you have a clinic you are comfortable with for all of your future visits.

On average, you will need to replace your units every five years or so. In order to purchase a hearing aid, you will undergo a medical exam, hearing test and the selection and fitting of your new device. You can expect to visit the office about three or four times during this whole process. Depending on how quickly the office can schedule the visits, it may take a month or so to complete everything.

Start by planning a visit to your family physician. A lot of times a simple ear cleaning will be able to restore your hearing back to normal. If your doctor has the proper equipment, they will be able to screen your hearing and see ...
... where you are at. Once your doctor determines there is something out of the ordinary, they will refer you over to a specialist for further treatment. The specialist will be able to examine you and determine if there is a medical treatment to be able to rectify the issue at hand. Make sure that you have the proper referrals in place for your visit to prevent any issues with the health insurance company not covering the visit.

An audiologist is trained to be able to provide you with the treatment and diagnosis that you are looking for in your hearing. They will also be able to discuss everything you need to know in terms of auditory rehabilitation to help you recover your hearing. A lot of times you will find that your family doctor will need to refer you to an audiologist to get the answers you are looking for. It takes an audiologist to be able to perform all of the formal hearing tests that you need to figure out what the problem is and how severe it is. If you are experiencing any dizziness, ringing in your ears or vertigo, they will be able to determine the root of the problem once and for all. In order to decide which unit is going to work the best for your situation, you need to know what you are working with.

At times the audiologist may include an audiogram test to determine just how severe your hearing loss is. The speech discrimination and recognition scoring will help determine how well you can hear out of each ear. They provide an indication of how well you are able to understand others speaking without having any hearing aids in place. Your audiologist will be able to let you know if you are going to require a hearing aid for your level of hearing loss.

Before you make your hearing aid purchase, make sure that you have a hearing exam about six months ahead of time. You will probably need to get a medical form signed from your physician that states you have no pre-existing conditions that would interfere with you being able to wear a hearing aid. If you are over 18 years of age, you have the option of signing a medical waiver.

However, a lot of doctors do not recommend signing the waiver, but rather they advise that you take the time to have the examination completed by your doctor. There is the potential that your medical insurance may pay for part of the cost associated with a hearing test, so take a moment and check with your provider to see what they cover before going into the office.

Dr. DeKriek has been helping the hearing impaired for more than 10 years in a variety of medical environments. He completed an internship at UCLA, served as a member of the cranio-facial team at Orthopaedic Hospital and has provided diagnostic and rehabilitative services to many local medical offices before starting his own practice. For up-to-date hearing aid information visit our blog.