Unlocking the Secrets: A Guide to Accessing Abundant Information

There are several ways to get information about a hearing healthcare practice. First, we want to address the ways we do not recommend.

We do not recommend Yelp. Yelp is, unfortunately, not at all what it seems and is frequently the subject of lawsuits from business owners and under regulatory scrutiny centered around the poorly policed manipulation of reviews and even flooding of fake reviews by “bots” no less! Some companies can use Yelp as competitive warfare while other companies turn around and sell the business owner under negative-review-assault “reputation management services.” So, beware! Get the information you need from truly trusted sources.

Google is a great starting point and a valuable place to check out patient reviews and rankings. It takes effort to put together one’s thoughts and go online and leave a review. Before starting treatment, always check out the quantity and quality of reviews for hearing healthcare practices in your community.

First, the best thing to do is make certain you get all your questions answered by the hearing healthcare specialist and the practice’s treatment coordinator. Do not hold back. Put them on the spot. Be assertive. Do not feel you have to be deferential to the guy in the white coat (which is part of the reason we do not wear white coats, ever!). Our goal in this is to have every patient and every family member fully knowledgeable about every aspect of the treatment so that they have zero anxiety.

Second, visit www.ExcellenceInAudiology.org. This is, as its name states, an organization of carefully chosen hearing healthcare practices and providers that have joined together to provide carefully curated, vetted, authoritative, accurate, and understandable patient and family information. This can help you decide based on the questions you want answers to.

Finally, if you have a quick follow-up visit scheduled, these are wonderful opportunities to either ask questions you may have missed the first time or get further details from your provider directly. You will always leave our offices with the treatment coordinator’s name, email, and phone number. Now that you know where to get your most burning audiology questions answered, here are some simple tips we have amassed over the years to help you easily and effectively get the information you need:

How To Get Your Questions Answered

Make a List. The easiest way to get what you want is to know it in advance. Make a list of the various questions you have when they arise so you can quickly and easily go down the list to assure you have got the right answers for the right questions.

Bring it With You. Take the list with you when you go for your audiology visit. That way you have the questions at hand, at the right place, at the right time. If you are calling in to get answers, you can also have the list ready and tick off one question for every answer you receive.

Record the Answers. If your hearing healthcare specialist, or their receptionist, speaks too fast or you cannot keep up while writing the answers down, why not record them (or at least ask them to slow down)? Your cell phone likely has a “record” feature and, if not, there are many affordable micro-recorders on the market today.

Double Check. Finally, make sure you have the right answer by double checking with your practitioner or their receptionist or assistant.

Knowing where to find the information you need is only half the battle; follow these tips and you will know how to get what you are looking for as well.

Regardless of how many questions you have, or your comfort level with technology, phone calls or in-person visits, your hearing healthcare specialist should offer an option that fits your schedule and makes all your unresolved issues crystal clear.