I am back home safe and sound from a great experience at AudiologyNOW! 2012 in Boston. I am in the processing of finishing a more detailed write-up on my experiences at the conference, though admittedly I have put more focus on an onslaught of school-related tasks upon my return. Talk about a welcome home! I have also been dealing with a nasty ...

Our editorial mission focuses so strongly on practice management that it can be easy to glance over the real-life effects of the hearing health conditions that are at the core of everything we do. This thought recently screached into my conscious when I heard this NPR report on tinnitus. At random points in the ...

I have officially started my new practicum placement at the VA hospital in North Little Rock. This placement also doubles as my assistantship, allowing for hourly pay and, more importantly, more practicum hours. In any given week, I may log 16-20 hours of practicum, which is solid for a third-year student. I was told that I would get more ...

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) issued a news release this week stressing the importance of consumers seeing a hearing health practitioner before purchasing hearing aids. Noting the increasing availability of options for purchasing hearing aids online, the state agency cautioned that hearing aids are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug ...

The Better Hearing Institute issued a news release this week warning consumers of the inherent risks associated with purchasing over-the-counter, one-size-fits-all hearing aids instead of consulting a hearing healthcare professional. BHI supports this claim by stating that hearing loss is sometimes a symptom of a serious underlying medical ...

Earlier this week we launched our newest specialty site, specifically focused on the products and services that help you to provide excellent patient care and operate a profitable practice. As one might expect, we're calling it the Hearing Practice Management Products & Services Resource Center. At the top of the Products & Services site ...

Our most recent feature story (''In the Loop,'' by Rob Senior) profiles Ed Ogiba, the president of the Hearing Loss Association of Sarasota, and his effort to create an expansive network of hearing loops in public places. In reading this article, I was fascinated by Mr. Ogiba's passion for the cause and how uniquely positioned he ...

This morning I interviewed web developer George Richeson about his company's work with audiologist Ellen Mosher, owner of Los Gatos Audiology and Hearing Aid Clinic Inc., in Los Gatos, CA. Mr. Richeson's company, eMediaNode (www.emedianode.com), developed an initial site for Mosher's practice in 2006 and recently launched a new one that complies ...

I have been told in the past that attending Audiology NOW! is motivating to the point where it can spur you right out of burnout and back into overachiever mode, even in the dog days leading up to finals. Those sources were correct. The conference was everything I expected it to be in terms of learning, networking and entertainment. I made the ...

I remember being shocked when I learned that hearing aids are not covered by Medicare and most private insurers. I immediately thought of my parents and older relatives--particularly my Aunt Mitzie. It's a light-hearted family joke that you have to repeat everything three times, and each time at a higher volume, to get her attention. Her ...