If you have been putting off a hearing test, you aren’t alone. Many people wait years to address hearing changes simply because they don’t know what to expect. Will it be uncomfortable? Will it be confusing? Will I be pressured into buying something I don’t need?
At Comprehensive Ear & Hearing, we believe that better hearing starts with trust and transparency. We want you to feel completely at ease from the moment you walk through our doors.
When you call for your free consultation, here is the step-by-step process of what will happen.
Step 1: We Listen to You
Before we test your ears, we want to hear your story. This isn’t just a medical check-up; it’s a conversation about your life.
- What are your frustrations? We want to know exactly where you are struggling. Is it Work? Church? The television? Social gatherings?
- Medical History: We review your ear health to see if medical reasons are contributing to the decline.
- Bring a Teammate: We encourage you to bring a spouse, family member, or friend. They can provide helpful context on how your hearing is affecting the interactions that you might miss yourself.
Step 2: The Evaluation (45 Minutes)
There is no need to be nervous about the testing. It is painless, non-invasive, and thorough. We visually examine your ears and then run a series of tests, including:
- Otoscopic Exam: We examine your ears with an otoscope to check for wax or physical obstructions.
- Capabilities and Limits: We administer a series of tests to measure the softest sounds you can identify, as well as your upper limits (loudness discomfort).
- Real-World Understanding: It’s not just about beeps and tones. We compare your ability to understand speech at normal levels versus your “preferred” listening levels. We also often test how well you hear in background noise to simulate challenging environments.
Step 3: Plain-English Results
We don’t believe in confusing medical jargon. Once the test is done, we will show you an audiogram (a visual map of your hearing) and explain it in terms that are easy to understand. We connect the data back to your daily life, explaining why you might be missing certain words or sounds.
Step 4: Exploring Your Options
After the evaluation, we will recommend a plan. This generally looks like one of three paths:
- Monitoring: If your hearing is normal or you have a mild hearing loss, we may recommend checking it again in a couple of years.
- Medical Referral: If we find a treatable medical issue, we refer you to the right specialist.
- Hearing Technology: If hearing aids will improve your quality of life, we discuss the best options for you.
Step 5: Insurance & Affordability
- We know that navigating insurance benefits and costs can be one of the most stressful parts of healthcare. We take that burden off your shoulders.
- If hearing aids are recommended, we will contact your insurance provider directly to verify your specific coverage and benefits. We want to ensure you have a clear picture of what is covered before you make any decisions.
- Beyond insurance, we are committed to making better hearing accessible. We will have a transparent financial discussion to show you the many ways we can make hearing aids affordable, including 0% financing options and flexible payment plans. We want to ensure you are comfortable with both the technology and the investment.
Step 6: The 60-Day “Test Drive”
If you decide to try hearing aids, we don’t just guess at the fit. We choose from the largest brands to find the right style for you, and then we let you prove it works.
We offer a 60-day Risk-Free Trial where you wear the hearing aids in your real life.
- Wear them to dinner.
- Wear them to work.
- Wear them while watching TV.
During this period, we will schedule return visits to tweak the settings as your brain adapts to the new sounds.
How to Prepare for Your Appointment
We want you to get the most out of your visit. To help you prepare, we recommend the following:
- Download our Guide: “Talking to a Loved One about Hearing Loss.” Even if you are taking this step for yourself, this guide offers great insight into our practice, the importance of communication, and how hearing aids can improve the quality of life for the whole family.
- Fill Out Forms Online: To save you time in the waiting room, please fill out your registration forms online (you will receive a link via text/email) before your appointment.
- Bring a Companion: As mentioned in Step 1, please bring a friend or family member. Two sets of ears are better than one when discussing results!
- Bring your Insurance Card: To help us check your benefits quickly, please make sure you have your current insurance card with you.
Our Promise to You
The goal is for you to be happy with your hearing. If, after 60 days, you aren’t satisfied with the improvement, you can return the hearing aids for a 100% money-back guarantee*.
There is no risk in finding out the status of your hearing. Call us today to schedule your free consultation.
* Less a processing fee of 3% if a credit card is used.