Optical providers have discovered that offering hearing testing onsite – whether it’s a self-administered screening or a clinically-valid comprehensive test - is a key differentiator for their businesses since many consumers find the “one stop shop” convenient and attractive. Tablet-based audiometry and the support from their manufacturers makes getting started simple and affordable.
If you work in a noisy environment, your employer has an obligation to work with you to preserve your sense of hearing. One of the most important components of your employer’s responsibility is to provide a regular, no-cost hearing test to establish a baseline and monitor for any hearing changes throughout your career. Even though you can’t “study” for a hearing test to get the best results, there are some things you can do to prepare and ensure an accurate test.
Today’s ever-present focus on doing more with less – less people, less money, less capital equipment and less hassle – exists in every business, but especially in healthcare. In the hearing care business, hospitals, physicians’ offices and private practice owners face these challenges too as they strive to serve more patients with hearing loss in satellite clinics and multiple office locations.
A shift is happening in Occupational Hearing Conservation. Many of you have embraced this change since the beginning. You can attest to how tablet audiometry – and SHOEBOX specifically – is helping you be more flexible while saving you time and money on your program and on the services that you provide your clients.
Hearing conservation is big business. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 22 million Americans are exposed to hazardous noise levels on the job annually, making noise-induced hearing loss one of the most common work-related injuries. Protecting workers’ existing hearing and training them to take personal responsibility for their hearing health is an important part of hearing conservation but testing hearing at required intervals and monitoring for changes in hearing levels is equally important.
