1350 E. Sunshine St. Springfield, MO 65804 
(417) 823-0484
What’s The Process?
At Half Price Hearing Aids we take Patient Assessment very seriously. Therefore, our process is first to assess the patient’s environment – the conditions under which the patient must hear. This can be radically different from person to person, and it would not be in the patient’s best interest for us to assume that it’s the same for everyone.
Next, we seek to comprehensively assess the patient’s hearing impairment. We perform an otoscopic examination to see if testing can be accurately performed (no conductive obstructions). Then we perform the full battery of audiological tests. We do not, as many do, neglect a complete testing regiment, but test by air conduction and bone conduction with masking (as necessary), and then perform the full battery of speech testing as well. This way fittings are insured to be as accurately programmed as possible. When patients are experiencing hearing that is not optimal after an initial fitting, we have state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment (Real Ear Measurements & Speech Mapping) to determine the precise cause and narrow the gain requirements to best resolve their problem.
After testing, we make recommendations regarding what a patient might expect in terms of the technological options available in today’s hearing instruments and leave it to them to decide what option is most financially viable or desirable for them at the time. We do not, and will not, strong arm anyone, because we are steadfastly purposed to serve the interests of our patients and do all we can to remain true to that primary fitting principle. After the patient indicates the level of technology they are most interested in, we program a pair of hearing instruments for them to listen to in the office and let them experience for themselves the benefits of hearing instruments, and what it’s like to hear again!
Up to this point, everything in the process is completely free. If the patient purchases the aids, they have free follow up appointments for the life of the original owner. We encourage our patients to come in regularly for free cleanings, any programming needs, free retesting and reprogramming, or whatever else is needed for their ongoing care. As we frequently say, if its FREE, you might as well do it! Why? Because sometimes patients experience a decline in their hearing as time goes on from the date of their original fitting. They almost universally assume that this is due to a decline in the performance of the aids. If so, we have equipment in the office that can test the devices and determine if they need to be repaired or replaced.
However, quite frequently it’s not the performance of the hearing aid at all, but that their hearing itself has changed, and accordingly we offer free re-testing and reprogramming so the hearing aids can be “tuned up”, so to speak, to match their current audiogram. Our desire is that our patients always receive the best value for their investment.
Once a model has been chosen, we then spend as much time as necessary programming the new hearing aids to the patient’s satisfaction.
After the initial fitting we recommend follow-up appointments. These help us determine how the hearing aids are benefiting our patients in differing environments and circumstances, and they enable us to adjust them for optimal results. We typically see people once or twice within 2-4 weeks as they go through the process of acclimating to hearing more and hearing better!
One final thing to remember: purchasing hearing aids isn’t like buying a car – you test drive it, and if it isn’t what you’re looking for you simply keep looking. But to use a car analogy, when it comes to hearing aids, a few clicks of the mouse, and suddenly your 4X4 truck is now a luxury sedan! Quality hearing aids, along with caring and competent programming from a dedicated professional, can be customized to fit anyone’s lifestyle, and can be changed as your lifestyle changes.
At Half Price Hearing Aids, you’ll never feel like we can’t or don’t want to help you, or that you’re not welcome to come and try to rectify any difficulty in hearing that you’re having. We know that’s what it takes for you to hear well, and that’s our sole aim in our practice.