July 9, 2025 • 54 mins
Two hundred episodes. Six years. One hundred twenty-one countries. The Hearing Matters Podcast celebrates a remarkable milestone in its mission to educate and connect the global hearing healthcare community.
Host Blaise Delfino's journey from college radio DJ to global hearing healthcare advocate encapsulates the power of finding your purpose. What began in a 400-square-foot family practice as a simple tool to answer patient questions has evolved into an international platform reaching thousands of hearing care professionals and patients alike. With early episodes designed to prepare patients for appointments and guide them through the hearing healthcare journey, the podcast created a seamless educational experience that transformed how patients engaged with their hearing health.
"The podcast absolutely positioned us as thought leaders in our community," Delfino reflects. "When prospective patients tuned in, it was a representation of the practice." This approach to patient education and experience proved extraordinarily effective, with fewer than ten hearing aid returns over five years—a testament to how education, transparency, and patient-centered care create lasting success in healthcare.
Throughout the podcast's evolution, Delfino has observed significant shifts in hearing healthcare: the emergence of deep neural networks and AI in hearing devices, the growing importance of telehealth options, and increasing patient demand for transparency and best practices. "Today, now more than ever, the hearing care professional plays such an important role in the patient experience," he emphasizes, highlighting how the relationship between provider and patient remains central despite technological advances.
Looking toward the future, the Hearing Matters Podcast is launching a provider locator tool to connect listeners with qualified hearing care professionals in their communities, expanding into speech-language pathology topics, and continuing to bridge the gap between education and action. For hearing care professionals and patients alike, the message remains consistent: "Continue to lead with your heart. Continue to keep your why as your North Star. Every day that you go into that office, reflect and think to yourself: I have the opportunity to change someone's life."
Share these episodes with someone who might be struggling with hearing loss – your recommendation could be the first step in their journey toward better communication and connection.
Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team
Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast
Twitter: @hearing_mattas
Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
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(00:42):
Welcome back to another episodeof the Hearing Matters Podcast.
I'm founder and host, blaiseDelfino, and, as a friendly
reminder, this podcast isseparate from my work at Starkey
.
You're tuned in to the HearingMatters Podcast, the show that
discusses hearing technologybest practices and a global
(01:04):
epidemic hearing loss.
I'm your host, blaise Delfino,and I would like to welcome you
to the 200th episode.
I cannot believe it.
This is episode 200 of theHearing Matters podcast and I
have to tell you before hittingrecord today, I just reflected
(01:27):
on the last six years of hostingthe podcast, running the
podcast with our team, spreadingthe good news of hearing
healthcare and, oh my gosh, thisis absolutely incredible.
But I first need to just thankyou, our listeners, our
community, whether you're ahearing care professional,
(01:50):
whether that be audiologist,hearing instrument specialist,
audiology assistant, or you're aconsumer wearing hearing
technology, I want to thank youon behalf of our entire team.
We are a small but mighty team.
On behalf of our team, thankyou so much for your continued
support, for believing in us,for believing in our mission and
(02:11):
joining us on our mission toraise awareness of the
importance of hearing healthcare.
Episode 200.
I was really thinking aboutwhat do I want to say on this
episode, what's the message wewant to leave you with?
And I want to reflect on thelast six years but also talk
(02:35):
about patient care, patientexperience, the evolution of
this podcast and really what youcan expect the next 18 to 24
months.
I have to tell you it is anexciting time to be a part of
the Hearing Matters podcast andI think you're all going to just
be really pumped for lack of abetter term with what we have in
the pipeline.
So thank you, thank you, thankyou.
(02:58):
Episode 200.
We have listeners in 121countries and 4,136 different
cities.
First of all, I haven't evenpersonally been to 121 different
countries, let alone 4,100cities, and that just goes to
(03:21):
show us the power of podcasting,of the internet social media.
We are the most sociallyconnected demographic and
leaning into the podcast space.
Especially when we started in2019, it really was a way that
we could spread the news ofhearing health care, that we
(03:42):
could educate consumers andprofessionals, you know, assist
them in making an educateddecision regarding hearing
healthcare.
So I want to start off, thankyou, thank you, thank you, and I
want to now lean into some, youknow, personal reflection of
why we started the podcast.
It's incredible because, if youthink about six years ago,
(04:03):
podcasting was a thing.
It was sort of really gettingoff the launch pad, and if you
think about it today, it'salmost like everyone has a
podcast, and I love that.
I think it's great from anexpression standpoint.
You know, businesses have themreally to stay connected with
their current customers, so I'ma huge fan of the podcasting
space.
So I want to share myexperience in college radio and
(04:28):
I've been reflecting prior torecording this episode.
In 2010, I started my freshmanyear of college at St Peter's
College, which is now St Peter'sUniversity, located in Jersey
City, new Jersey.
Located in Jersey City, newJersey and it was actually my
father who recommended he waslike hey, Blaze, check out the
college radio station, and atthat time I was heavily involved
(04:50):
in music, so I really enjoyedaudio engineering, audio
production, storytelling, thingsof that nature.
So I actually this is when Imet.
His name is Professor JoeLamacchia.
So, professor Lamacchia, ifyou're tuned in.
I hope you are.
Thank you for getting mestarted on this journey.
So I hosted a show called Rideand Solo and the theme of the
(05:15):
show was highlighting soloindependent recording artists,
because I was one of those and Ihad the opportunity to open up
for different national touringacts.
And when I would play thesedifferent shows, it was an
opportunity for me to be like,hey, I host this college radio
show, let's have you come on,let's promote your music, and it
(05:35):
was just so much fun.
I think back to those earlytimes in college radio and again
, this was 2010 when I startedto now, which is 2025.
First of all, 15 years.
I'm like I have been behind themic for 15 years and I'm so
grateful for this opportunity.
I'm so grateful that I'm ableto use my voice to spread the
(05:57):
good news of hearing health.
But I've really been reflectingon the early years of college
radio and I have a few of thoseearly show recordings.
They were okay.
They're not as good as theHearing Matters podcast today,
but you evolve, you grow up andyou learn actually how to host a
show.
And then I transferred to EastStroudsburg University, so I was
(06:19):
at St Peter's College for abouttwo years.
Then I transferred to EastStroudsburg University because I
changed my major fromcommunications to communication
sciences and disorders mostcommonly known as
speech-language pathology.
So then I also hosted the sameshow, ride and Solo, on 90.3
(06:39):
WESS Again same theme, but itreally was at East Stroudsburg
University when I started tolean into having different
entrepreneurs and businessowners on the show and really
expanded the theme of Ride andSolo from not only independent
recording artists butentrepreneurs what does that
look like?
Not only self-made, but thosewho work for organizations, who
(07:02):
are making an impact.
So I've always said and I I'velearned vision has different
versions.
So from that first version ofRide and Solo to where we are
today with the Hearing Matterspodcast, it's been a wild,
incredible ride.
So why the Hearing Matterspodcast?
So it was 2019 when we startedthis show and it was a way in
(07:25):
which we were able to duplicateourselves as clinicians.
So my father, dr Delfino, and Iand my wife Autumn and our team
, we talked about starting thispodcast because there would be
times when patients would calland I could hear the front
office staff answering the samequestion essentially over and
over again, and I thought youknow what would be a good idea,
(07:47):
at least I thought, was let'sstart a podcast and let's talk
about addressing all of thesefrequently asked questions when
patients call.
Now here's the thing.
You can go on a corporation'swebsite and look at the FAQs,
but not a lot of people aregoing to really waste their time
and read through that or lookthrough that, and some will, but
(08:08):
for us, how cool was it?
You know, we could say, mr andMrs Smith, we actually have a
podcast.
It's called Hearing MattersPodcast and we address pretty
much all these frequently askedquestions.
So I'm going to email you thelink If you don't mind.
Just listen back before yourappointment.
Now, what this did for us is itgot our new patient used to my
(08:31):
voice, to Dr Delfino's voice.
So you know, when they comeinto the office it's not like
they're meeting us for the firsttime.
So again, I am a firm believerof transfer of information
process, of duplication.
The Hearing Matters podcast wasa way that our patients could
become educated before coming inthe office.
They could continue theireducation following their first
(08:53):
appointment, because we hadepisodes titled what to Expect
at your Follow-Up Appointment.
So we strategically set this upin a manner that was
appropriate for our new patients, but also current patients.
You know firm believer inalways wanting to educate our
patients, so we strategicallyrecorded, you know, our earlier
(09:15):
episodes to support thosedifferent appointments and,
again, help those patients makeeducated hearing healthcare
decisions.
Now, the current content thatwas released was, I would say,
generic and we really wanted away to diversify ourselves.
And what do I mean by that?
The current content in hearinghealthcare was somewhat generic,
(09:38):
and I'm not pointing anyfingers or anything like that,
it's just we want it to bedifferent.
We want it to put our own spinon the evidence-based practices,
on the research that was comingout, and, being a family-owned
private practice, we want it tosort of own our own distribution
outlet in terms of this is whowe are, this is our character,
(10:00):
story and voice.
So it really was a way tocontinue to diversify ourselves
and it really was a culture play.
And what do I mean by that?
So, being a leader but alsorunning the private practice, I
understood that culture was acommon set of values and beliefs
and I'm big into creatingcommunity, ensuring that as an
(10:24):
organization, as a smallbusiness, your people are all
rowing in the same direction,and the podcast was something
that our team could really rallybehind.
I really wanted to avoid themundane of Gerber's e-myth.
The process of business is soimportant.
(10:48):
You build the process and thenyou manage that process.
But with the podcast, it was away in which our team could be
creative, could innovate, andthis turned into actually having
podcast days with our patientswho were fit with technology, so
they would actually come on theshow and share their experience
.
So we would do this quarterlyand so we started in 2019.
(11:10):
I would say the podcast daysstarted in about, I would say,
the tail end of COVID.
Yeah yeah, about end of 2020,early 21.
And every quarter we wouldschedule a podcast day.
We would have about fiveinterviews per day and we would
schedule them in such a waywhere every guest had about an
(11:31):
hour and we essentially shutdown the office, like we would
not see patients that day.
But we built this in.
So what did this do?
This actually gave our teamsomething to look forward to.
While we were fitting ourpatients and implementing the
different follow-up appointments, we were learning different
things, and it allowed me and DrDelfino to sort of banter back
(11:52):
and forth of like, hmm, maybe wewant to talk about this topic
or that topic.
So it was a lot of fun.
We would have refreshments forthe patients and it was just a
really great time.
And I think our patientsappreciated it too, because,
again, they shared their stories.
Some of these were new hearingaid users, some of them were
current hearing aid users and wewanted to show our new patients
(12:17):
, of course, but also ourcurrent patients.
This is a community.
We are not just a transactionalorganization.
We really love what we do andwe always want to push the
needle forward in terms ofmoving the industry forward and
providing you, our patients,with the most updated news as it
relates to hearing healthcare.
And, of course, the HearingMatters podcast absolutely
(12:39):
positioned us as thought leadersin our community.
We were able to, and are ableto, talk fluently about hearing
healthcare topics.
So when prospective patientstuned in, it was a
representation of the practice.
This is all original content.
I think back 200 episodes.
My goodness, my wife Autumn andI we were calculating how many
(13:02):
hours we've all put into thisand it's a lot, but so grateful
for it.
I don't think of this as a job.
I mean, this is really apassion of mine to educate
everyone on hearing healthcare.
So, of course, the HearingMatters podcast positioned our
private practice and us asclinicians, as those thought
(13:25):
leaders.
And the other challenge that wewanted to address was, while we
were open six days a week so wewere seeing patients on a
Saturday we wanted to ensure howcan our patients have access to
us 24-7.
And that's exactly what ourYouTube videos did, that's what
our website did, but, mostimportantly, that's what the
(13:47):
Hearing Matters podcast did,because new patients coming in
maybe they had that appointmenton Monday they could tune into
the podcast on a Saturday orSunday tune in coming in.
They've been educated on thedifferent brands of hearing
technology, the different styles, the different technology
(14:08):
levels.
They've maybe learned aboutcognition and untreated hearing
loss.
So this podcast has beenworking for us, not only for,
you know, in the earlier days,audiology services, but we hope
now that this podcast works forall of you, the hearing care
professional.
(14:28):
So when a patient tunes in andthey decide to take that step
towards better hearing, they'regoing to go to
hearingmatterspodcastcom, puttheir zip code in our provider
locator, which, exciting, iscoming very soon.
That's one of the surprises,but I'm going to share it
because it's awesome.
(14:48):
You go tohearingmatterspodcastcom,
patient, puts in their zip codeand they find a hearing care
professional near them.
That's what I'm so excitedabout.
That, again, is a way in whichwe are able to make a global
impact, and I'm so, so grateful.
So just wanted to dive in to whywe started the podcast and
(15:08):
personally reflect on theearlier days.
And now I want to lean intoprivate practice experience, and
I know that we have a lot ofprivate practice owners who tune
into this show and I will say Iam loving what I am seeing in
the industry right now.
There are so many hearing careprofessionals and private
(15:30):
practice owners banding togetherand talking about different
innovative business strategiesand how are you navigating X, y
and Z?
And I love to see that because,of course, we have the
technology today to do so.
But it's this culture, it'sthis community, and I'm so
loving what I'm seeing.
So I really want to justlightly and briefly touch on the
(15:54):
challenges we overcame,especially during COVID, because
we were, of course, in theearlier stages of the Hearing
Matters podcast during the COVIDpandemic and I hope that if
you're tuned in, you can learnhow to take an adverse or
negative life event.
Covid threw our organization fora tizzy quote unquote and I
(16:18):
think it threw a lot ofbusinesses for a tizzy because
you're like, how the heck do wenavigate this?
But I hope this kind of givesyou some insight and also the
different seasons of life.
So COVID was absolutely awinter season of business, right
, because we were shut down foralmost four months.
So it was absolutely a scarytime.
(16:38):
In practice, I really thoughtto shorten the curve.
We were going to be closed fortwo weeks and honestly I thought
, oh, this will be great, we cando some painting in the office.
Well, we definitely didpainting in the office and then
some, because we were closeddown for quite some time.
But when I'm getting at is weabsolutely leveraged the Hearing
(16:59):
Matters podcast.
So we knew we knew thatpatients who presented with
untreated hearing loss were atan increased risk of loneliness.
And we are absolutely in thisloneliness epidemic.
We're all going to be lonely ifwe don't stay connected.
(17:19):
Facetime text, the whole nineyards, and during that time
COVID was so new I was like, arewe able to be all together?
I don't want to get my parentssick.
So there was all that reallyanxiety ridden of can we
actually record our podcast inperson.
So we did end up recording oneHearing Matters podcast episode
(17:42):
per week in person.
We recorded that in the homestudio I built actually my
parents' home.
So we wanted to ensure that wewere using our time wisely.
But when I talk about thatloneliness epidemic, we wanted
to ensure that we were stayingconnected with all of our
patients.
So we would record the episode,I would edit them we still edit
them in-house today and then wewould upload them to the
(18:07):
platform and then email theseepisodes to our patients and
obviously our patients wouldfollow us on Facebook and
different social platforms.
So it was a way in which wewere able to show all right,
everyone, while we arephysically closed down, we are
still available and let's usethis time all of us to educate
ourselves on hearing healthcare.
(18:28):
We'll keep you updated.
Again, it was anotherdistribution outlet that we
could keep our patients updatedof what we've got going on.
When are we going to reopenThings of that nature?
But I'm really proud of what wewere able to do with the
Hearing Matters podcast duringthat time.
Again, vision has versions.
If I told you that when wefirst started the Hearing
(18:49):
Matters podcast, we wouldleverage it as a sort of a news
outlet for our patients during apandemic.
Forget it, you know.
So I would encourage you, ashearing care professionals,
continue to think outside of thebox.
You don't need a pandemic toreally do that and think
differently.
But you know, not only are youworking in the business, but
when you're working on thebusiness, think of different
(19:10):
ways that you can leverage yourcurrent media.
So yeah, that's again.
I just wanted to kind of sharethat experience because, again,
we have six years of experiencehosting the Hearing Matters
podcast.
I wanted to start with our whyand now go into, as we've been
talking about, the privatepractice experience.
When we first started thepodcast again 2019, autumn, my
(19:31):
wife she was our director ofoperations and during our staff
meeting she would always say by2020, majority of consumers are
going to make their decisionsbased on the experiences that
they had at said organization.
And if we look five years later, that's absolutely true.
I mean, as humans, we are somuch more prone to sharing a
(19:53):
negative or adverse experienceat a business than a positive
one, right?
So that's why it's so importantus hearing care professionals,
whether you're in clinic,whether you work for an
organization, always representyourself to that highest degree
of I want this patient or thisclient to have the best
experience possible and, ofcourse, you need to be genuine.
(20:15):
But we were really focusing onpatient experience.
And how does the HearingMatters podcast and how does the
Hearing Matters podcast and howdid the Hearing Matters podcast
positively influence thatpatient experience?
Well, where you know thefamily's practice is located,
where audiology services islocated, it's absolutely.
(20:36):
It has a lot of competitionaround.
So what was going to bedifferent about the experience
that our patients had at ourpractice?
Well, we were family owned andwe really did try our best and I
know the team there today doessuch a great job at providing
that family feel and I reallyfeel like our patients
(20:58):
appreciated that, because whenour patients are working with us
, you know you're supportingthis small family business and
we're so passionate about whatwe do and we love what we do.
We always hope that ourpatients would feel that and
leave feeling that same wayconfident really, about their
decision moving forward withhearing technology.
(21:20):
So again, patient experience.
Not only did we have anaccessible website, but the
podcast.
Really, hearing Matters allowedus to not only educate our
patients, but our patientsrallied around the podcast.
Hearing Matters then alsoturned into a newsletter, so we
(21:40):
had the podcast, we had thenewsletter.
I'm really proud of what wewere able to do with such a
small and mighty team and reallyeducate so many patients, and
I'm so grateful for thatopportunity.
So I want to say it was 2017,2018.
(22:05):
Autumn and I were at the StarkeyHearing Expo and we had the
chance to hear Dr Jill Casewormgive a talk.
It was a panel and it was allabout patient experience.
And Autumn and I walked awayfrom not only the conference but
Dr Jill's talk with suchexcitement because she would say
(22:26):
okay, when you have newpatients, are you waiting for
them at the front door?
You know, think of when you gethome and you have a dog.
Your dog is so excited to seeyou.
Are you acting like that whennew patients come in through
your door, or newer patientscome in through your door?
And as soon as we left thatconference, that's exactly what
we started to implement Everynew patient, I was waiting.
(22:50):
You know, we were waiting atthat front door greeting them
and I will tell you that madesuch a difference.
So, hearing care professionals,private practice owners, what is
the experience you're providingto your patients?
You don't need to show them howmuch you know about the
technology.
Again, favorite quote peopledon't care what you know until
(23:13):
they know that you care.
And that is so true in hearinghealthcare.
Sure, we could talk aboutattack and release, time and
compression and DNN and adaptivedirectionality.
Our patients have a few goals.
They want to hear their spousebetter, their family better.
They want to go to a restaurantand not say huh what, hmm, and
(23:33):
then socially isolate let's leaninto that through motivational
interviewing.
So isolate, let's lean intothat through motivational
interviewing.
So what is the patientexperience?
Also, during our time inprivate practice, ensuring that
we're asking the patient whatwould you like to accomplish
today, mr Smith?
And then turning to Mr Smith'swife, mrs Smith Mrs Smith, what
(23:54):
would you like to accomplishtoday?
Be different, dare to bedifferent.
Push the needle forward inhearing health carers, hearing
care professionals, because whenyou care, when you are focused
on the patient in front of you,when you're focused on
connecting them to their newhearing world, everything else
(24:14):
is going to fall into place.
If you take care of yourpatients, your patients will
absolutely take care of yourbusiness.
So I wanted to briefly touch onthat patient experience.
But now leading into philosophy,building trust with patients.
So in private practice, Iunderstood and I learned real
(24:37):
quick that people will dobusiness with people they know,
so that will get patientsthrough the door.
But then what?
Sure, you could be thisincredible organization everyone
knows, but are you followingthat same system and process
(24:58):
every single time and the resultof that is high patient
satisfaction, five-star Googlereviews, happy patients,
patients that you know that youimplement outcome measures on,
which should be every singlepatient, that they are improving
in terms of their overallcommunication.
Now, I get it.
You cannot make everyone happy.
You cannot make every patienthappy, but building trust with
(25:21):
patients we found to be soimportant.
And one way to build trust withyour patients is listen twice as
much as you speak.
So again, they get in the door.
But then what Will they like?
Trust and respect you.
And this is something that wealways at audiology services at
the private practice alwayswanted to ensure was companies
(25:44):
will scale, they'll get too bigand they will forget their why
always kept our why at theepicenter of everything we do,
(26:04):
of all opportunities, of all ourguests coming on.
How is this going to help ourcommunity, help our listeners
make educated hearing healthcaredecisions?
So, building trust withpatients we all talk about it,
but how can we ensure that wekeep our why at the center?
And to me, that's something thatI learned very early on in my
(26:25):
career is building trust andmaintaining trust.
One of the many ways to do thatand really the most essential
way to do that is keep the whyat the center of everything that
you do.
That's why one of my mostrecent LinkedIn posts it was a
photo of me and Mr Bill Austinand what I did when I took that
(26:47):
photo.
That was 2017, on my 26thbirthday.
So now you know how old I am.
I'm still young.
I'm only 33.
I don't care.
So what I did is I strategicallyhung that photo up when I would
put the key in the door open upthe office for the day.
It was the first photo I sawwalking into the office and that
(27:10):
centered me every singlemorning because it reminded me
take care of your people.
It reminded me take care ofyour people.
Don't forget why you do whatyou do, and give 120% to every
single patient that walksthrough that door.
You know when someone comes toyou with hearing challenges.
(27:32):
That's a sacred trust andthat's something that I learned.
Remember your why.
Keep that at the center ofeverything you do, and hearing
healthcare is absolutely builton trust.
If you think about it, hearingis a sense that you can't see
(27:52):
and that is why that the trustthat you establish with your
patients is essential.
I'm so excited because there'san emphasis now today on best
practices, which I love to see,because now we have happier
patients.
We have patients who areadopting technology much more
than they were 15, 20 years ago.
So, again, hearing healthcareis absolutely built on trust.
This is something I've learnedand continue to learn.
Make sure that our patientsfeel heard.
(28:13):
That's something that I learnedearly on in my career and
continue to implement throughthat motivational interview, and
really there is no secretformula to building trust.
It's absolutely a feeling thatpeople get and people can sniff
out a fraud.
It's intuition.
As a hearing healthcareprofessional, I encourage all of
(28:35):
you tuned in because I knowthat probably all of our hearing
care professionals tuned in youimplement these essential best
practices.
Continue to do that, becausethat is only going to elevate
our industry and that is reallygoing to hopefully inspire those
hearing care professionals whoare not implementing best
practices to do so.
(28:55):
So you know the philosophy ofbuilding trust with patients.
This is something I learnedthroughout my journey in private
practice, but also hosting theHearing Matters podcast.
Your patients are coming to youwith a hearing problem, hearing
difficulty, listeningchallenges.
Listen to them, build thattrust and let them know that you
(29:17):
are there for them.
Make a strong recommendationthat isn't in the best interest
of your pocketbook but of theirsense of hearing.
Let's go into balancing growthand quality.
You know, in the last six years, just with the Hearing Matters
podcast, we talked about growingpains and vision has different
versions.
(29:37):
So, as we're reflecting on myexperience in private practice
and again I share this all withyou because for our hearing care
professionals, tuned in thosepractice owners, I hope that you
can even learn from my mistakes, shorten the learning curve and
scale and provide even betterexperiences to your patients.
(30:00):
So I want to talk a little bitabout balancing growth and
quality.
In the very early stages, weabsolutely experienced growing
pains, just like any other smallbusiness does.
I mean, in the first eightmonths we grew 483%, 487%, I
don't know.
83%, 487%, I don't know.
We grew fast, we grew a lot.
(30:22):
It was exciting, it wasnerve-wracking, but it happened.
We made it work.
We were grateful for theopportunity that we have and one
way to navigate the growingpains, and this is something
that I ensured that wasimplemented and talked to the
team about, especially for newteam members.
(30:43):
At the end of each day they'reespecially the first 90 days we
would sit down and I would askwhat was your peak and what was
your valley of the day?
And the reason I ask that isnumber one.
I would never want a teammember to go home thinking about
work or a challenge that theyexperienced.
So I was totally fine withstaying an extra 15, 20 minutes
(31:04):
in the office to ensure that ourteam member was able to show up
best for their family when theygot home.
So this was something that wefound to be effective and I
always wanted to ensure thatteam members felt heard, because
when you talk about your peakand valley, you can continue to
course correct.
That's how we grow and that'show we maintained that quality.
(31:26):
And this being episode 200, Ithink back.
I'm like wow, all of the hoursof research and listening and
learning and implementing andpivoting, balancing growth and
quality.
How do you handle those growingpains?
And it really came down to,especially in private practice
if your team doesn't feel heard,your patients won't feel heard.
(31:48):
If your team doesn't feel heard, your patients won't feel heard
.
And I, to this day, firmlybelieve that.
Yes, as hearing careprofessionals, our position is
so important because we aretreating patients Well.
What about our front officestaff members?
They are that first line ofdefense.
It is so important that theyfeel heard, that they have the
(32:10):
tools that they need to helppatients make an educated
decision.
And it's the first voice, it'sthe first person that they
essentially are introduced to,engaged with on behalf of your
practice.
So, again, that's why we alwayswanted to ensure that our front
office staff what do you needfrom us?
How can we help?
What tools do you need to makeyour job better?
(32:30):
And front office, absolutelywhat do you need from us?
How can we help?
What tools do you need to makeyour job better?
And front office absolutelyhelped with those growing pains
and ensuring that the qualitywas maintained.
I talked about this earlier thetransfer of information process
of duplication.
I learned that early in my 20s.
I would absolutely recommendthe E-Myth by Michael Gerber.
It's an excellent read and whatI learned from that book is we
(32:55):
wrote down the entire process,step by step, for each and every
patient touchpoint.
So, like what does the firstappointment look like?
What about the first follow-up?
What do those look like?
Who does what?
What was that process?
You know scripting for thefront office.
Oftentimes, as hearing careprofessionals, we're working in
(33:17):
the business, but we need totake a step back and work on the
business, not selfishly, but itallows you to see things
through a different lens andensure that, okay, if I want to
grow and I want to maintain thequality, how can we do that?
So, if I want to grow 20%, whatdo I have to do?
(33:38):
What does my team have to do?
How can I support them?
How can I work on the business?
Because when you're working onthe business, it is absolutely
an investment in patient care,patient outcomes, because your
team has what they need and youhave what you need and your
patients are going to get thebest experience possible.
(34:01):
So a little reflection here ofyou know balancing growth and
quality.
The Nazareth office so ourprivate practice was and to this
day, is still located inNazareth, pennsylvania.
The original office space was400 square feet and now it's
well over.
I think it was like 1,200square feet, 1,300 square feet
(34:25):
at the same time, which to us,was like, oh my gosh.
Now we can see more patients,help more people, and where I'm
getting at is, again, this isstill in the earlier stages of
the Hearing Matters podcast andit opened up an opportunity for
us to promote and talk about ournew office space, but
maintaining quality and growth.
(34:46):
We had that office built out intwo weeks because, again, being
a small, family-owned privatepractice, we couldn't shut down
for a month.
So the construction crew I meanthey were working 10-hour days.
That was an incredible,incredible time.
We had the new boothtransferred in.
(35:07):
That was really cool toexperience an office build-out,
because we knew that the reasonwe're doing this is so we can
help our community, so we canhelp more patients and having
this being episode 200, wantingto celebrate with you, our
community, our listeners, thankyou for allowing me now the
(35:29):
opportunity to reflect back onthe patients that I was able to
work with one-on-one andestablish great professional
relationships with.
It's been a ride.
It's been really cool andbalancing growth and quality.
Reflecting back now, a lot ofpractices will talk about their
return for credit rate and I'mproud to say that during my time
(35:50):
in private practice, which wasfive years, had less than 10
returns in five years, and Idon't want to say I can't
believe that, because we always,in every single day, ensured
that we put the patient at theforefront of everything that we
did.
But I think it's testament ofwhen you put the patient first,
(36:14):
when you make a strongrecommendation, when you fit the
patient appropriately,appropriately conduct real ear
measurement, all best practices,ensure that the follow-ups are
handled beautifully, ensure thatthe patient gets connected to
their cell phone and their app.
This all has to do withbalancing growth and quality.
(36:35):
And thank you again for theopportunity for allowing me to
reflect on this episode of theevolution of the Hearing Matters
podcast.
The experience I learned inprivate practice to now we're
able to make a global impact isabsolutely incredible and I just
I'm so grateful.
So thank you for allowing methe time to kind of share my
(36:55):
private practice experience.
Six years of the Hearing Matterspodcast, there's been quite an
evolution in terms of technology, service delivery and patient
expectations.
I mean, when I first started inprivate practice, it really was
the beginning of the StarkeyLivios Such cool technology,
(37:16):
it's like wow.
Fall detection, step tracking,like all of these different new
things that hearing aids can do,was such an exciting time and
when you talk about the appintegrations today, you went
really from like a simple app totoday where it's like you have
a caregiver app.
A caregiver can literally seewhat your social score is.
(37:39):
Today we have deep neuralnetworks and rechargeability.
You know, I remember in theearly days of private practice
and, of course, you know theHearing Matters podcast, the
Z-Power chargers, and I think Imean the concept of them was
brilliant.
If you think about it to myhearing care professionals out
there, the concept was brilliantbecause the Z-Power charger
(38:02):
literally accommodated everysingle hearing aid manufacturer,
which was so cool.
I think that it was probablytoo early to market and maybe
not enough testing was done.
I don't know, but I just Ithink that the concept was so
cool.
We fit, I want to say, 10patients, because when I started
in 2017, then you know, a fewof the manufacturers were coming
(38:26):
out with their own rechargeablesystem.
That was really cool innovationthat, you know, I was able to
witness early on in my career.
So just the industry evolution,like technology, where we are
today DNNs, artificialintelligence yes, we've had
adaptive directionality, butit's so different today than
what it was six years ago.
What about the service deliverymodel today?
(38:47):
Telehealth and teleaudiologythis is something that I think
will continue to gain traction.
I think that we have anopportunity as hearing care
professionals to start toimplement more telehealth and or
hybrid models.
Right, because when you fit apatient with their hearing
technology and you have theirfirst follow-up and you've done
(39:10):
real ear measurement and you'vemade those really important
modifications, and the patientsays nope, you know they fit
well, they sound great.
You could schedule their secondfollow-up via telehealth.
And then what does that do?
That encourages the patient toget used to their app, to get
(39:31):
used to using the app thatcorrelates to their brand of
hearing technology.
And this is what we did at ourprivate practice and it helped
tremendously, even servicedelivery as it relates to
over-the-counter hearing aids.
So, yes, otc, it's here, it'sbeen here, we've had OTC for
many years.
How do you manage that?
What we did and this is allthrough Hearing Matters podcast
(39:57):
early days we had a packagecalled the Patriot Package and
it was prescription hearing aidsand it was $899 for the payer
of hearing technology.
I believe that came with atwo-year warranty one or
two-year warranty, real earmeasurement and three follow-ups
, and that was a way in whichthat we competed with
(40:19):
over-the-counter hearing aidsbecause we wanted to ensure that
these patients were stillgetting prescription hearing
technology at a lower pricepoint.
But it introduced them toprescription hearing aids and at
least they knew.
Okay, I am now connected with ahearing healthcare professional,
so that was our model.
(40:41):
You know OTC hearing aids todaythey're more sophisticated, but
it is our belief thatprescription hearing aids in the
hands of the professional havethe best outcomes.
And if you've been tuning intothe Hearing Matters podcast for
six years now, you will knowthat is what we believe in.
And I am an innovator, I am avisionary, I believe in patient
(41:05):
access and affordability, but Ialso know, know, having a
master's in communicationsciences and disorders.
We are social beings.
We like to feel connected toother individuals.
So when we're talking aboutindustry evolution, the hearing
care professional today, nowmore than ever, plays such an
(41:25):
important role in the patientexperience.
And this is what I'veexperienced throughout the past
six years of the podcast.
This is what I continue toexperience working with other
hearing care professionals inthe industry.
And then you know this is agreat segue into patient
expectations.
There's a demand fortransparency today.
I mean there's always been ademand for transparency as it
(41:47):
relates to consumerism.
Let's be real here.
But I think today, now morethan ever, because we are the
most socially connecteddemographic, especially as it
relates to hearing healthcarepatients can go to Google.
They're going to be followed bythese sponsored ads and the
geo-targeting.
But I'd encourage you, if youare a consumer, when you do walk
(42:08):
into your hearing careprofessional's office,
pleasantly and kindly demandthat transparency of what kind
of best practices do youimplement?
Do you conduct real earmeasurement?
You know, sure they could havethe system, but are they using
the system every single day?
That's really important.
And again, I think that intoday's day and age and having
(42:31):
done the podcast now for sixyears, we've seen such an
evolution, just with thatpatient transparency.
And I love the fact thatpatients are now going into
offices asking about outcomemeasures.
And sure some hearing careprofessionals could say, well,
they don't even know what realear measurement is.
I don't care, they're askingabout it, which means that they
care about their hearing health,they want to better themselves
(42:55):
in terms of communicating withtheir loved ones and family.
So I think it's great, kind ofjust wanted to briefly touch on
the industry evolution there andI think what I would say I'm
most excited about is thetechnological evolution and
educating patients on how thetechnology works and why it
matters.
And what I learned early on inmy career is, with patients,
(43:19):
focus on the benefits of thetechnology first and the
features second.
I think that's so important.
So, you know, in closing, somepodcast lessons, some guest
wisdom here, our team puttogether some questions that
they had for me.
Let's go here with what is thebest piece of advice I've heard
(43:40):
on the podcast.
My goodness, I learn somethingnew every episode and I'm just
so grateful that you know wehave the opportunity to learn
something new every episode.
I would say the best advice wasfrom Bob Berg.
He's the author of the go giver.
It was John David Mann and BobBerg who coauthored that book.
(44:00):
The more you give, the more youreceive, and when you give with
the intention of not expectinganything in return, that is
truly when your business startsto really flourish.
And how I was connected withthe Go-Giver and Bob Berg is
Matt Hay, when he was with Redux, visited the office and we
(44:25):
actually had him on the HearingMatters podcast.
So that was really cool.
So we came in, had him on thepodcast.
We showed him how we use theRedux and how it really helped
our patient experience.
But as soon as I read that book, I thought to myself, wow, so
many of our colleagues shouldread this book because it really
(44:46):
directly correlates to usgiving the gift of hearing.
And so I would say the bestpiece of advice was from Bob
Berg moment or guest insightthat changed how I practice or
think.
Well, man, these are reallygood guys.
I can't think of one singleepisode to answer this specific
question, but what I will say is, when we started to host the
(45:10):
podcast days and really focusingon consumer-driven episodes, it
allowed me to gain deeperunderstanding of what patients
are actually really truly goingthrough, what that social
isolation looks like.
And just thinking to myself asan individual with normal
hearing holy smokes I take thisfor granted every single day.
(45:34):
So I would say that, even tothis day, when we have consumers
on you know, patients who wearhearing aids, patients who wear
bone anchored hearing aids,cochlear implants it provides me
with greater insight,understanding.
It provides me with greaterinsight, understanding, empathy,
and that, again, is one of thereasons why I'm so grateful for
(45:55):
this opportunity to host theHearing Matters podcast.
And then number three what arepatterns that I noticed from
interviewing experts?
I would tell you the pattern isthis we, as hearing care
professionals, need to continueto step it up and kick it up a
gear Because, again, when wewere talking earlier about the
demand for transparency ashearing care professionals,
(46:18):
today, literally the pattern isthis continue to implement best
practices and for those whoaren't, start to Because number
one, it's under your scope.
Number two if you're not, it isnot in the best interest of
your patient.
Number three you're sellingyourself short.
Number four you're a hearingcare professional, you should be
implementing what is under yourscope of practice and the tools
(46:39):
that you need and are requiredto have the best patient
outcomes.
That's honestly, probablywithin the last two or three
years, the pattern I've noticedinterviewing experts on not only
the technology but alsoindividuals who are
neuroscientists, things of thatnature.
It comes back to that patientcare, providing the best patient
care possible.
(47:02):
And I sort of wanted to add afun element here.
I wanted to read out a favoritelistener message or review and
this one came in last week.
So, so grateful for this.
Huge congratulations, blaiseDelfino.
As an early career audiologistfrom a developing country.
I found the Hearing Matterspodcast to be more than just a
(47:24):
resource.
It's been a source ofinspiration, guidance and
community.
Wow, thank you, thank you.
Thank you so much, kelvin.
That really means a lot to us.
And then there's one more.
This one was from Shelly.
I love your podcast, blaise.
Since I started listening to ita couple years ago, I don't
think I missed many.
(47:44):
You have covered everyimportant topic in hearing
healthcare.
You have covered everyimportant topic in hearing
healthcare.
You're so professional andcompassionate.
I always look forward tohearing the next episode.
Wishing you many more years ofsuccess, thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you, thank you.
I cannot say it enough.
Our team so appreciates it.
I really need to shout outAutumn Megan.
(48:07):
We are a I always say we're asmall but mighty team.
We focus on the why, which isour North Star Assisting
patients and professionals makeeducated hearing healthcare
decisions.
That is what we've been doingsince the very beginning of the
Hearing Matters podcast and justso grateful for the opportunity
(48:28):
that we have to continue toeducate the community.
So, in closing, some advice andcall to action for
professionals.
Here's what I think that we cando better as a field Continue
to lead with your heart.
Continue to keep your why asyour North Star.
Every day that you go into thatoffice, reflect and think to
(48:51):
yourself.
I have the opportunity tochange someone's life, to
reconnect a patient to theirfriends, to their family.
We are in this to help peopleconnect with life and for our
patients.
Please continue to join us onthis journey.
Every single week we release anepisode and we're so grateful
(49:13):
for the opportunity to do that.
Our mission is to educate and Iwould encourage you be a
Go-Giver, continue to be aGo-Giver.
And one way that you can do thatis to share this message, to
share future episodes withfriends or family of yours that
you believe may be strugglingwith hearing loss.
You never know that you,sharing one of our episodes,
(49:37):
could help them make thateducated decision to schedule an
appointment with a licensedhearing healthcare professional.
And you know, very soon, verysoon, we'll make an announcement
about this.
You'll be able to go tohearingmatterspodcastcom.
Type in your zip code and youwill be able to find a hearing
care professional near you.
(49:58):
So, episode 200 in the books.
I can't believe this.
What's next?
What is the vision for thefuture and the next 200 episodes
?
What does that look like thevision for the future and the
next 200 episodes.
What does that look like?
Well, what I am excited is, ofcourse, the Provider Locator on
(50:18):
Hearing Matters Podcast, and weare also going to have a hearing
screener on the website as well.
So we are enhancing our websitebecause we want to make more of
an impact and connect consumersto licensed hearing care
professionals, continue toeducate, but we are going to be
diving more into speech,language, pathology and
(50:40):
communication sciences as awhole, because, if we think
about this, communication is theexchange of ideas.
So get ready and let's continueto hear life's story In closing
.
I know I said it already, but Ijust want to thank you so much
for the opportunity to raiseawareness of Hearing Healthcare.
(51:01):
Thank you for allowing us, forsix years and 200 episodes, to
share our passion, to sharepatient stories and to hopefully
have connected you to a hearingcare professional, and if
you're a professional, I hopethat you continue to find value
(51:22):
in the content that we release.
You're tuned in to the HearingMatters podcast, the show that
discusses hearing technology,best practices and a global
epidemic hearing loss.
You tuned in to episode 200.
Thank you so much and untilnext time, hear life's story.
Thank you to our partners.
Cycle, built for the entirehearing care practice.
Redux, the best dryer.
Hands down Caption call bySorenson.
Life is calling CareCredit.
Here today to help more peoplehear tomorrow.
Faderplugs the world's firstcustom adjustable earplug.
(00:42):
Welcome back to another episodeof the Hearing Matters Podcast.
I'm founder and host, blaiseDelfino, and, as a friendly
reminder, this podcast isseparate from my work at Starkey
.
You're tuned in to the HearingMatters Podcast, the show that
discusses hearing technologybest practices and a global
(01:04):
epidemic hearing loss.
I'm your host, blaise Delfino,and I would like to welcome you
to the 200th episode.
I cannot believe it.
This is episode 200 of theHearing Matters podcast and I
have to tell you before hittingrecord today, I just reflected
(01:27):
on the last six years of hostingthe podcast, running the
podcast with our team, spreadingthe good news of hearing
healthcare and, oh my gosh, thisis absolutely incredible.
But I first need to just thankyou, our listeners, our
community, whether you're ahearing care professional,
(01:50):
whether that be audiologist,hearing instrument specialist,
audiology assistant, or you're aconsumer wearing hearing
technology, I want to thank youon behalf of our entire team.
We are a small but mighty team.
On behalf of our team, thankyou so much for your continued
support, for believing in us,for believing in our mission and
(02:11):
joining us on our mission toraise awareness of the
importance of hearing healthcare.
Episode 200.
I was really thinking aboutwhat do I want to say on this
episode, what's the message wewant to leave you with?
And I want to reflect on thelast six years but also talk
(02:35):
about patient care, patientexperience, the evolution of
this podcast and really what youcan expect the next 18 to 24
months.
I have to tell you it is anexciting time to be a part of
the Hearing Matters podcast andI think you're all going to just
be really pumped for lack of abetter term with what we have in
the pipeline.
So thank you, thank you, thankyou.
(02:58):
Episode 200.
We have listeners in 121countries and 4,136 different
cities.
First of all, I haven't evenpersonally been to 121 different
countries, let alone 4,100cities, and that just goes to
(03:21):
show us the power of podcasting,of the internet social media.
We are the most sociallyconnected demographic and
leaning into the podcast space.
Especially when we started in2019, it really was a way that
we could spread the news ofhearing health care, that we
(03:42):
could educate consumers andprofessionals, you know, assist
them in making an educateddecision regarding hearing
healthcare.
So I want to start off, thankyou, thank you, thank you, and I
want to now lean into some, youknow, personal reflection of
why we started the podcast.
It's incredible because, if youthink about six years ago,
(04:03):
podcasting was a thing.
It was sort of really gettingoff the launch pad, and if you
think about it today, it'salmost like everyone has a
podcast, and I love that.
I think it's great from anexpression standpoint.
You know, businesses have themreally to stay connected with
their current customers, so I'ma huge fan of the podcasting
space.
So I want to share myexperience in college radio and
(04:28):
I've been reflecting prior torecording this episode.
In 2010, I started my freshmanyear of college at St Peter's
College, which is now St Peter'sUniversity, located in Jersey
City, new Jersey.
Located in Jersey City, newJersey and it was actually my
father who recommended he waslike hey, Blaze, check out the
college radio station, and atthat time I was heavily involved
(04:50):
in music, so I really enjoyedaudio engineering, audio
production, storytelling, thingsof that nature.
So I actually this is when Imet.
His name is Professor JoeLamacchia.
So, professor Lamacchia, ifyou're tuned in.
I hope you are.
Thank you for getting mestarted on this journey.
So I hosted a show called Rideand Solo and the theme of the
(05:15):
show was highlighting soloindependent recording artists,
because I was one of those and Ihad the opportunity to open up
for different national touringacts.
And when I would play thesedifferent shows, it was an
opportunity for me to be like,hey, I host this college radio
show, let's have you come on,let's promote your music, and it
(05:35):
was just so much fun.
I think back to those earlytimes in college radio and again
, this was 2010 when I startedto now, which is 2025.
First of all, 15 years.
I'm like I have been behind themic for 15 years and I'm so
grateful for this opportunity.
I'm so grateful that I'm ableto use my voice to spread the
(05:57):
good news of hearing health.
But I've really been reflectingon the early years of college
radio and I have a few of thoseearly show recordings.
They were okay.
They're not as good as theHearing Matters podcast today,
but you evolve, you grow up andyou learn actually how to host a
show.
And then I transferred to EastStroudsburg University, so I was
(06:19):
at St Peter's College for abouttwo years.
Then I transferred to EastStroudsburg University because I
changed my major fromcommunications to communication
sciences and disorders mostcommonly known as
speech-language pathology.
So then I also hosted the sameshow, ride and Solo, on 90.3
(06:39):
WESS Again same theme, but itreally was at East Stroudsburg
University when I started tolean into having different
entrepreneurs and businessowners on the show and really
expanded the theme of Ride andSolo from not only independent
recording artists butentrepreneurs what does that
look like?
Not only self-made, but thosewho work for organizations, who
(07:02):
are making an impact.
So I've always said and I I'velearned vision has different
versions.
So from that first version ofRide and Solo to where we are
today with the Hearing Matterspodcast, it's been a wild,
incredible ride.
So why the Hearing Matterspodcast?
So it was 2019 when we startedthis show and it was a way in
(07:25):
which we were able to duplicateourselves as clinicians.
So my father, dr Delfino, and Iand my wife Autumn and our team
, we talked about starting thispodcast because there would be
times when patients would calland I could hear the front
office staff answering the samequestion essentially over and
over again, and I thought youknow what would be a good idea,
(07:47):
at least I thought, was let'sstart a podcast and let's talk
about addressing all of thesefrequently asked questions when
patients call.
Now here's the thing.
You can go on a corporation'swebsite and look at the FAQs,
but not a lot of people aregoing to really waste their time
and read through that or lookthrough that, and some will, but
(08:08):
for us, how cool was it?
You know, we could say, mr andMrs Smith, we actually have a
podcast.
It's called Hearing MattersPodcast and we address pretty
much all these frequently askedquestions.
So I'm going to email you thelink If you don't mind.
Just listen back before yourappointment.
Now, what this did for us is itgot our new patient used to my
(08:31):
voice, to Dr Delfino's voice.
So you know, when they comeinto the office it's not like
they're meeting us for the firsttime.
So again, I am a firm believerof transfer of information
process, of duplication.
The Hearing Matters podcast wasa way that our patients could
become educated before coming inthe office.
They could continue theireducation following their first
(08:53):
appointment, because we hadepisodes titled what to Expect
at your Follow-Up Appointment.
So we strategically set this upin a manner that was
appropriate for our new patients, but also current patients.
You know firm believer inalways wanting to educate our
patients, so we strategicallyrecorded, you know, our earlier
(09:15):
episodes to support thosedifferent appointments and,
again, help those patients makeeducated hearing healthcare
decisions.
Now, the current content thatwas released was, I would say,
generic and we really wanted away to diversify ourselves.
And what do I mean by that?
The current content in hearinghealthcare was somewhat generic,
(09:38):
and I'm not pointing anyfingers or anything like that,
it's just we want it to bedifferent.
We want it to put our own spinon the evidence-based practices,
on the research that was comingout, and, being a family-owned
private practice, we want it tosort of own our own distribution
outlet in terms of this is whowe are, this is our character,
(10:00):
story and voice.
So it really was a way tocontinue to diversify ourselves
and it really was a culture play.
And what do I mean by that?
So, being a leader but alsorunning the private practice, I
understood that culture was acommon set of values and beliefs
and I'm big into creatingcommunity, ensuring that as an
(10:24):
organization, as a smallbusiness, your people are all
rowing in the same direction,and the podcast was something
that our team could really rallybehind.
I really wanted to avoid themundane of Gerber's e-myth.
The process of business is soimportant.
(10:48):
You build the process and thenyou manage that process.
But with the podcast, it was away in which our team could be
creative, could innovate, andthis turned into actually having
podcast days with our patientswho were fit with technology, so
they would actually come on theshow and share their experience
.
So we would do this quarterlyand so we started in 2019.
(11:10):
I would say the podcast daysstarted in about, I would say,
the tail end of COVID.
Yeah yeah, about end of 2020,early 21.
And every quarter we wouldschedule a podcast day.
We would have about fiveinterviews per day and we would
schedule them in such a waywhere every guest had about an
(11:31):
hour and we essentially shutdown the office, like we would
not see patients that day.
But we built this in.
So what did this do?
This actually gave our teamsomething to look forward to.
While we were fitting ourpatients and implementing the
different follow-up appointments, we were learning different
things, and it allowed me and DrDelfino to sort of banter back
(11:52):
and forth of like, hmm, maybe wewant to talk about this topic
or that topic.
So it was a lot of fun.
We would have refreshments forthe patients and it was just a
really great time.
And I think our patientsappreciated it too, because,
again, they shared their stories.
Some of these were new hearingaid users, some of them were
current hearing aid users and wewanted to show our new patients
(12:17):
, of course, but also ourcurrent patients.
This is a community.
We are not just a transactionalorganization.
We really love what we do andwe always want to push the
needle forward in terms ofmoving the industry forward and
providing you, our patients,with the most updated news as it
relates to hearing healthcare.
And, of course, the HearingMatters podcast absolutely
(12:39):
positioned us as thought leadersin our community.
We were able to, and are ableto, talk fluently about hearing
healthcare topics.
So when prospective patientstuned in, it was a
representation of the practice.
This is all original content.
I think back 200 episodes.
My goodness, my wife Autumn andI we were calculating how many
(13:02):
hours we've all put into thisand it's a lot, but so grateful
for it.
I don't think of this as a job.
I mean, this is really apassion of mine to educate
everyone on hearing healthcare.
So, of course, the HearingMatters podcast positioned our
private practice and us asclinicians, as those thought
(13:25):
leaders.
And the other challenge that wewanted to address was, while we
were open six days a week so wewere seeing patients on a
Saturday we wanted to ensure howcan our patients have access to
us 24-7.
And that's exactly what ourYouTube videos did, that's what
our website did, but, mostimportantly, that's what the
(13:47):
Hearing Matters podcast did,because new patients coming in
maybe they had that appointmenton Monday they could tune into
the podcast on a Saturday orSunday tune in coming in.
They've been educated on thedifferent brands of hearing
technology, the different styles, the different technology
(14:08):
levels.
They've maybe learned aboutcognition and untreated hearing
loss.
So this podcast has beenworking for us, not only for,
you know, in the earlier days,audiology services, but we hope
now that this podcast works forall of you, the hearing care
professional.
(14:28):
So when a patient tunes in andthey decide to take that step
towards better hearing, they'regoing to go to
hearingmatterspodcastcom, puttheir zip code in our provider
locator, which, exciting, iscoming very soon.
That's one of the surprises,but I'm going to share it
because it's awesome.
(14:48):
You go tohearingmatterspodcastcom,
patient, puts in their zip codeand they find a hearing care
professional near them.
That's what I'm so excitedabout.
That, again, is a way in whichwe are able to make a global
impact, and I'm so, so grateful.
So just wanted to dive in to whywe started the podcast and
(15:08):
personally reflect on theearlier days.
And now I want to lean intoprivate practice experience, and
I know that we have a lot ofprivate practice owners who tune
into this show and I will say Iam loving what I am seeing in
the industry right now.
There are so many hearing careprofessionals and private
(15:30):
practice owners banding togetherand talking about different
innovative business strategiesand how are you navigating X, y
and Z?
And I love to see that because,of course, we have the
technology today to do so.
But it's this culture, it'sthis community, and I'm so
loving what I'm seeing.
So I really want to justlightly and briefly touch on the
(15:54):
challenges we overcame,especially during COVID, because
we were, of course, in theearlier stages of the Hearing
Matters podcast during the COVIDpandemic and I hope that if
you're tuned in, you can learnhow to take an adverse or
negative life event.
Covid threw our organization fora tizzy quote unquote and I
(16:18):
think it threw a lot ofbusinesses for a tizzy because
you're like, how the heck do wenavigate this?
But I hope this kind of givesyou some insight and also the
different seasons of life.
So COVID was absolutely awinter season of business, right
, because we were shut down foralmost four months.
So it was absolutely a scarytime.
(16:38):
In practice, I really thoughtto shorten the curve.
We were going to be closed fortwo weeks and honestly I thought
, oh, this will be great, we cando some painting in the office.
Well, we definitely didpainting in the office and then
some, because we were closeddown for quite some time.
But when I'm getting at is weabsolutely leveraged the Hearing
(16:59):
Matters podcast.
So we knew we knew thatpatients who presented with
untreated hearing loss were atan increased risk of loneliness.
And we are absolutely in thisloneliness epidemic.
We're all going to be lonely ifwe don't stay connected.
(17:19):
Facetime text, the whole nineyards, and during that time
COVID was so new I was like, arewe able to be all together?
I don't want to get my parentssick.
So there was all that reallyanxiety ridden of can we
actually record our podcast inperson.
So we did end up recording oneHearing Matters podcast episode
(17:42):
per week in person.
We recorded that in the homestudio I built actually my
parents' home.
So we wanted to ensure that wewere using our time wisely.
But when I talk about thatloneliness epidemic, we wanted
to ensure that we were stayingconnected with all of our
patients.
So we would record the episode,I would edit them we still edit
them in-house today and then wewould upload them to the
(18:07):
platform and then email theseepisodes to our patients and
obviously our patients wouldfollow us on Facebook and
different social platforms.
So it was a way in which wewere able to show all right,
everyone, while we arephysically closed down, we are
still available and let's usethis time all of us to educate
ourselves on hearing healthcare.
(18:28):
We'll keep you updated.
Again, it was anotherdistribution outlet that we
could keep our patients updatedof what we've got going on.
When are we going to reopenThings of that nature?
But I'm really proud of what wewere able to do with the
Hearing Matters podcast duringthat time.
Again, vision has versions.
If I told you that when wefirst started the Hearing
(18:49):
Matters podcast, we wouldleverage it as a sort of a news
outlet for our patients during apandemic.
Forget it, you know.
So I would encourage you, ashearing care professionals,
continue to think outside of thebox.
You don't need a pandemic toreally do that and think
differently.
But you know, not only are youworking in the business, but
when you're working on thebusiness, think of different
(19:10):
ways that you can leverage yourcurrent media.
So yeah, that's again.
I just wanted to kind of sharethat experience because, again,
we have six years of experiencehosting the Hearing Matters
podcast.
I wanted to start with our whyand now go into, as we've been
talking about, the privatepractice experience.
When we first started thepodcast again 2019, autumn, my
(19:31):
wife she was our director ofoperations and during our staff
meeting she would always say by2020, majority of consumers are
going to make their decisionsbased on the experiences that
they had at said organization.
And if we look five years later, that's absolutely true.
I mean, as humans, we are somuch more prone to sharing a
(19:53):
negative or adverse experienceat a business than a positive
one, right?
So that's why it's so importantus hearing care professionals,
whether you're in clinic,whether you work for an
organization, always representyourself to that highest degree
of I want this patient or thisclient to have the best
experience possible and, ofcourse, you need to be genuine.
(20:15):
But we were really focusing onpatient experience.
And how does the HearingMatters podcast and how does the
Hearing Matters podcast and howdid the Hearing Matters podcast
positively influence thatpatient experience?
Well, where you know thefamily's practice is located,
where audiology services islocated, it's absolutely.
(20:36):
It has a lot of competitionaround.
So what was going to bedifferent about the experience
that our patients had at ourpractice?
Well, we were family owned andwe really did try our best and I
know the team there today doessuch a great job at providing
that family feel and I reallyfeel like our patients
(20:58):
appreciated that, because whenour patients are working with us
, you know you're supportingthis small family business and
we're so passionate about whatwe do and we love what we do.
We always hope that ourpatients would feel that and
leave feeling that same wayconfident really, about their
decision moving forward withhearing technology.
(21:20):
So again, patient experience.
Not only did we have anaccessible website, but the
podcast.
Really, hearing Matters allowedus to not only educate our
patients, but our patientsrallied around the podcast.
Hearing Matters then alsoturned into a newsletter, so we
(21:40):
had the podcast, we had thenewsletter.
I'm really proud of what wewere able to do with such a
small and mighty team and reallyeducate so many patients, and
I'm so grateful for thatopportunity.
So I want to say it was 2017,2018.
(22:05):
Autumn and I were at the StarkeyHearing Expo and we had the
chance to hear Dr Jill Casewormgive a talk.
It was a panel and it was allabout patient experience.
And Autumn and I walked awayfrom not only the conference but
Dr Jill's talk with suchexcitement because she would say
(22:26):
okay, when you have newpatients, are you waiting for
them at the front door?
You know, think of when you gethome and you have a dog.
Your dog is so excited to seeyou.
Are you acting like that whennew patients come in through
your door, or newer patientscome in through your door?
And as soon as we left thatconference, that's exactly what
we started to implement Everynew patient, I was waiting.
(22:50):
You know, we were waiting atthat front door greeting them
and I will tell you that madesuch a difference.
So, hearing care professionals,private practice owners, what is
the experience you're providingto your patients?
You don't need to show them howmuch you know about the
technology.
Again, favorite quote peopledon't care what you know until
(23:13):
they know that you care.
And that is so true in hearinghealthcare.
Sure, we could talk aboutattack and release, time and
compression and DNN and adaptivedirectionality.
Our patients have a few goals.
They want to hear their spousebetter, their family better.
They want to go to a restaurantand not say huh what, hmm, and
(23:33):
then socially isolate let's leaninto that through motivational
interviewing.
So isolate, let's lean intothat through motivational
interviewing.
So what is the patientexperience?
Also, during our time inprivate practice, ensuring that
we're asking the patient whatwould you like to accomplish
today, mr Smith?
And then turning to Mr Smith'swife, mrs Smith Mrs Smith, what
(23:54):
would you like to accomplishtoday?
Be different, dare to bedifferent.
Push the needle forward inhearing health carers, hearing
care professionals, because whenyou care, when you are focused
on the patient in front of you,when you're focused on
connecting them to their newhearing world, everything else
(24:14):
is going to fall into place.
If you take care of yourpatients, your patients will
absolutely take care of yourbusiness.
So I wanted to briefly touch onthat patient experience.
But now leading into philosophy,building trust with patients.
So in private practice, Iunderstood and I learned real
(24:37):
quick that people will dobusiness with people they know,
so that will get patientsthrough the door.
But then what?
Sure, you could be thisincredible organization everyone
knows, but are you followingthat same system and process
(24:58):
every single time and the resultof that is high patient
satisfaction, five-star Googlereviews, happy patients,
patients that you know that youimplement outcome measures on,
which should be every singlepatient, that they are improving
in terms of their overallcommunication.
Now, I get it.
You cannot make everyone happy.
You cannot make every patienthappy, but building trust with
(25:21):
patients we found to be soimportant.
And one way to build trust withyour patients is listen twice as
much as you speak.
So again, they get in the door.
But then what Will they like?
Trust and respect you.
And this is something that wealways at audiology services at
the private practice alwayswanted to ensure was companies
(25:44):
will scale, they'll get too bigand they will forget their why
always kept our why at theepicenter of everything we do,
(26:04):
of all opportunities, of all ourguests coming on.
How is this going to help ourcommunity, help our listeners
make educated hearing healthcaredecisions?
So, building trust withpatients we all talk about it,
but how can we ensure that wekeep our why at the center?
And to me, that's something thatI learned very early on in my
(26:25):
career is building trust andmaintaining trust.
One of the many ways to do thatand really the most essential
way to do that is keep the whyat the center of everything that
you do.
That's why one of my mostrecent LinkedIn posts it was a
photo of me and Mr Bill Austinand what I did when I took that
(26:47):
photo.
That was 2017, on my 26thbirthday.
So now you know how old I am.
I'm still young.
I'm only 33.
I don't care.
So what I did is I strategicallyhung that photo up when I would
put the key in the door open upthe office for the day.
It was the first photo I sawwalking into the office and that
(27:10):
centered me every singlemorning because it reminded me
take care of your people.
It reminded me take care ofyour people.
Don't forget why you do whatyou do, and give 120% to every
single patient that walksthrough that door.
You know when someone comes toyou with hearing challenges.
(27:32):
That's a sacred trust andthat's something that I learned.
Remember your why.
Keep that at the center ofeverything you do, and hearing
healthcare is absolutely builton trust.
If you think about it, hearingis a sense that you can't see
(27:52):
and that is why that the trustthat you establish with your
patients is essential.
I'm so excited because there'san emphasis now today on best
practices, which I love to see,because now we have happier
patients.
We have patients who areadopting technology much more
than they were 15, 20 years ago.
So, again, hearing healthcareis absolutely built on trust.
This is something I've learnedand continue to learn.
Make sure that our patientsfeel heard.
(28:13):
That's something that I learnedearly on in my career and
continue to implement throughthat motivational interview, and
really there is no secretformula to building trust.
It's absolutely a feeling thatpeople get and people can sniff
out a fraud.
It's intuition.
As a hearing healthcareprofessional, I encourage all of
(28:35):
you tuned in because I knowthat probably all of our hearing
care professionals tuned in youimplement these essential best
practices.
Continue to do that, becausethat is only going to elevate
our industry and that is reallygoing to hopefully inspire those
hearing care professionals whoare not implementing best
practices to do so.
(28:55):
So you know the philosophy ofbuilding trust with patients.
This is something I learnedthroughout my journey in private
practice, but also hosting theHearing Matters podcast.
Your patients are coming to youwith a hearing problem, hearing
difficulty, listeningchallenges.
Listen to them, build thattrust and let them know that you
(29:17):
are there for them.
Make a strong recommendationthat isn't in the best interest
of your pocketbook but of theirsense of hearing.
Let's go into balancing growthand quality.
You know, in the last six years, just with the Hearing Matters
podcast, we talked about growingpains and vision has different
versions.
(29:37):
So, as we're reflecting on myexperience in private practice
and again I share this all withyou because for our hearing care
professionals, tuned in thosepractice owners, I hope that you
can even learn from my mistakes, shorten the learning curve and
scale and provide even betterexperiences to your patients.
(30:00):
So I want to talk a little bitabout balancing growth and
quality.
In the very early stages, weabsolutely experienced growing
pains, just like any other smallbusiness does.
I mean, in the first eightmonths we grew 483%, 487%, I
don't know.
83%, 487%, I don't know.
We grew fast, we grew a lot.
(30:22):
It was exciting, it wasnerve-wracking, but it happened.
We made it work.
We were grateful for theopportunity that we have and one
way to navigate the growingpains, and this is something
that I ensured that wasimplemented and talked to the
team about, especially for newteam members.
(30:43):
At the end of each day they'reespecially the first 90 days we
would sit down and I would askwhat was your peak and what was
your valley of the day?
And the reason I ask that isnumber one.
I would never want a teammember to go home thinking about
work or a challenge that theyexperienced.
So I was totally fine withstaying an extra 15, 20 minutes
(31:04):
in the office to ensure that ourteam member was able to show up
best for their family when theygot home.
So this was something that wefound to be effective and I
always wanted to ensure thatteam members felt heard, because
when you talk about your peakand valley, you can continue to
course correct.
That's how we grow and that'show we maintained that quality.
(31:26):
And this being episode 200, Ithink back.
I'm like wow, all of the hoursof research and listening and
learning and implementing andpivoting, balancing growth and
quality.
How do you handle those growingpains?
And it really came down to,especially in private practice
if your team doesn't feel heard,your patients won't feel heard.
(31:48):
If your team doesn't feel heard, your patients won't feel heard
.
And I, to this day, firmlybelieve that.
Yes, as hearing careprofessionals, our position is
so important because we aretreating patients Well.
What about our front officestaff members?
They are that first line ofdefense.
It is so important that theyfeel heard, that they have the
(32:10):
tools that they need to helppatients make an educated
decision.
And it's the first voice, it'sthe first person that they
essentially are introduced to,engaged with on behalf of your
practice.
So, again, that's why we alwayswanted to ensure that our front
office staff what do you needfrom us?
How can we help?
What tools do you need to makeyour job better?
(32:30):
And front office, absolutelywhat do you need from us?
How can we help?
What tools do you need to makeyour job better?
And front office absolutelyhelped with those growing pains
and ensuring that the qualitywas maintained.
I talked about this earlier thetransfer of information process
of duplication.
I learned that early in my 20s.
I would absolutely recommendthe E-Myth by Michael Gerber.
It's an excellent read and whatI learned from that book is we
(32:55):
wrote down the entire process,step by step, for each and every
patient touchpoint.
So, like what does the firstappointment look like?
What about the first follow-up?
What do those look like?
Who does what?
What was that process?
You know scripting for thefront office.
Oftentimes, as hearing careprofessionals, we're working in
(33:17):
the business, but we need totake a step back and work on the
business, not selfishly, but itallows you to see things
through a different lens andensure that, okay, if I want to
grow and I want to maintain thequality, how can we do that?
So, if I want to grow 20%, whatdo I have to do?
(33:38):
What does my team have to do?
How can I support them?
How can I work on the business?
Because when you're working onthe business, it is absolutely
an investment in patient care,patient outcomes, because your
team has what they need and youhave what you need and your
patients are going to get thebest experience possible.
(34:01):
So a little reflection here ofyou know balancing growth and
quality.
The Nazareth office so ourprivate practice was and to this
day, is still located inNazareth, pennsylvania.
The original office space was400 square feet and now it's
well over.
I think it was like 1,200square feet, 1,300 square feet
(34:25):
at the same time, which to us,was like, oh my gosh.
Now we can see more patients,help more people, and where I'm
getting at is, again, this isstill in the earlier stages of
the Hearing Matters podcast andit opened up an opportunity for
us to promote and talk about ournew office space, but
maintaining quality and growth.
(34:46):
We had that office built out intwo weeks because, again, being
a small, family-owned privatepractice, we couldn't shut down
for a month.
So the construction crew I meanthey were working 10-hour days.
That was an incredible,incredible time.
We had the new boothtransferred in.
(35:07):
That was really cool toexperience an office build-out,
because we knew that the reasonwe're doing this is so we can
help our community, so we canhelp more patients and having
this being episode 200, wantingto celebrate with you, our
community, our listeners, thankyou for allowing me now the
(35:29):
opportunity to reflect back onthe patients that I was able to
work with one-on-one andestablish great professional
relationships with.
It's been a ride.
It's been really cool andbalancing growth and quality.
Reflecting back now, a lot ofpractices will talk about their
return for credit rate and I'mproud to say that during my time
(35:50):
in private practice, which wasfive years, had less than 10
returns in five years, and Idon't want to say I can't
believe that, because we always,in every single day, ensured
that we put the patient at theforefront of everything that we
did.
But I think it's testament ofwhen you put the patient first,
(36:14):
when you make a strongrecommendation, when you fit the
patient appropriately,appropriately conduct real ear
measurement, all best practices,ensure that the follow-ups are
handled beautifully, ensure thatthe patient gets connected to
their cell phone and their app.
This all has to do withbalancing growth and quality.
(36:35):
And thank you again for theopportunity for allowing me to
reflect on this episode of theevolution of the Hearing Matters
podcast.
The experience I learned inprivate practice to now we're
able to make a global impact isabsolutely incredible and I just
I'm so grateful.
So thank you for allowing methe time to kind of share my
(36:55):
private practice experience.
Six years of the Hearing Matterspodcast, there's been quite an
evolution in terms of technology, service delivery and patient
expectations.
I mean, when I first started inprivate practice, it really was
the beginning of the StarkeyLivios Such cool technology,
(37:16):
it's like wow.
Fall detection, step tracking,like all of these different new
things that hearing aids can do,was such an exciting time and
when you talk about the appintegrations today, you went
really from like a simple app totoday where it's like you have
a caregiver app.
A caregiver can literally seewhat your social score is.
(37:39):
Today we have deep neuralnetworks and rechargeability.
You know, I remember in theearly days of private practice
and, of course, you know theHearing Matters podcast, the
Z-Power chargers, and I think Imean the concept of them was
brilliant.
If you think about it to myhearing care professionals out
there, the concept was brilliantbecause the Z-Power charger
(38:02):
literally accommodated everysingle hearing aid manufacturer,
which was so cool.
I think that it was probablytoo early to market and maybe
not enough testing was done.
I don't know, but I just Ithink that the concept was so
cool.
We fit, I want to say, 10patients, because when I started
in 2017, then you know, a fewof the manufacturers were coming
(38:26):
out with their own rechargeablesystem.
That was really cool innovationthat, you know, I was able to
witness early on in my career.
So just the industry evolution,like technology, where we are
today DNNs, artificialintelligence yes, we've had
adaptive directionality, butit's so different today than
what it was six years ago.
What about the service deliverymodel today?
(38:47):
Telehealth and teleaudiologythis is something that I think
will continue to gain traction.
I think that we have anopportunity as hearing care
professionals to start toimplement more telehealth and or
hybrid models.
Right, because when you fit apatient with their hearing
technology and you have theirfirst follow-up and you've done
(39:10):
real ear measurement and you'vemade those really important
modifications, and the patientsays nope, you know they fit
well, they sound great.
You could schedule their secondfollow-up via telehealth.
And then what does that do?
That encourages the patient toget used to their app, to get
(39:31):
used to using the app thatcorrelates to their brand of
hearing technology.
And this is what we did at ourprivate practice and it helped
tremendously, even servicedelivery as it relates to
over-the-counter hearing aids.
So, yes, otc, it's here, it'sbeen here, we've had OTC for
many years.
How do you manage that?
What we did and this is allthrough Hearing Matters podcast
(39:57):
early days we had a packagecalled the Patriot Package and
it was prescription hearing aidsand it was $899 for the payer
of hearing technology.
I believe that came with atwo-year warranty one or
two-year warranty, real earmeasurement and three follow-ups
, and that was a way in whichthat we competed with
(40:19):
over-the-counter hearing aidsbecause we wanted to ensure that
these patients were stillgetting prescription hearing
technology at a lower pricepoint.
But it introduced them toprescription hearing aids and at
least they knew.
Okay, I am now connected with ahearing healthcare professional,
so that was our model.
(40:41):
You know OTC hearing aids todaythey're more sophisticated, but
it is our belief thatprescription hearing aids in the
hands of the professional havethe best outcomes.
And if you've been tuning intothe Hearing Matters podcast for
six years now, you will knowthat is what we believe in.
And I am an innovator, I am avisionary, I believe in patient
(41:05):
access and affordability, but Ialso know, know, having a
master's in communicationsciences and disorders.
We are social beings.
We like to feel connected toother individuals.
So when we're talking aboutindustry evolution, the hearing
care professional today, nowmore than ever, plays such an
(41:25):
important role in the patientexperience.
And this is what I'veexperienced throughout the past
six years of the podcast.
This is what I continue toexperience working with other
hearing care professionals inthe industry.
And then you know this is agreat segue into patient
expectations.
There's a demand fortransparency today.
I mean there's always been ademand for transparency as it
(41:47):
relates to consumerism.
Let's be real here.
But I think today, now morethan ever, because we are the
most socially connecteddemographic, especially as it
relates to hearing healthcarepatients can go to Google.
They're going to be followed bythese sponsored ads and the
geo-targeting.
But I'd encourage you, if youare a consumer, when you do walk
(42:08):
into your hearing careprofessional's office,
pleasantly and kindly demandthat transparency of what kind
of best practices do youimplement?
Do you conduct real earmeasurement?
You know, sure they could havethe system, but are they using
the system every single day?
That's really important.
And again, I think that intoday's day and age and having
(42:31):
done the podcast now for sixyears, we've seen such an
evolution, just with thatpatient transparency.
And I love the fact thatpatients are now going into
offices asking about outcomemeasures.
And sure some hearing careprofessionals could say, well,
they don't even know what realear measurement is.
I don't care, they're askingabout it, which means that they
care about their hearing health,they want to better themselves
(42:55):
in terms of communicating withtheir loved ones and family.
So I think it's great, kind ofjust wanted to briefly touch on
the industry evolution there andI think what I would say I'm
most excited about is thetechnological evolution and
educating patients on how thetechnology works and why it
matters.
And what I learned early on inmy career is, with patients,
(43:19):
focus on the benefits of thetechnology first and the
features second.
I think that's so important.
So, you know, in closing, somepodcast lessons, some guest
wisdom here, our team puttogether some questions that
they had for me.
Let's go here with what is thebest piece of advice I've heard
(43:40):
on the podcast.
My goodness, I learn somethingnew every episode and I'm just
so grateful that you know wehave the opportunity to learn
something new every episode.
I would say the best advice wasfrom Bob Berg.
He's the author of the go giver.
It was John David Mann and BobBerg who coauthored that book.
(44:00):
The more you give, the more youreceive, and when you give with
the intention of not expectinganything in return, that is
truly when your business startsto really flourish.
And how I was connected withthe Go-Giver and Bob Berg is
Matt Hay, when he was with Redux, visited the office and we
(44:25):
actually had him on the HearingMatters podcast.
So that was really cool.
So we came in, had him on thepodcast.
We showed him how we use theRedux and how it really helped
our patient experience.
But as soon as I read that book, I thought to myself, wow, so
many of our colleagues shouldread this book because it really
(44:46):
directly correlates to usgiving the gift of hearing.
And so I would say the bestpiece of advice was from Bob
Berg moment or guest insightthat changed how I practice or
think.
Well, man, these are reallygood guys.
I can't think of one singleepisode to answer this specific
question, but what I will say is, when we started to host the
(45:10):
podcast days and really focusingon consumer-driven episodes, it
allowed me to gain deeperunderstanding of what patients
are actually really truly goingthrough, what that social
isolation looks like.
And just thinking to myself asan individual with normal
hearing holy smokes I take thisfor granted every single day.
(45:34):
So I would say that, even tothis day, when we have consumers
on you know, patients who wearhearing aids, patients who wear
bone anchored hearing aids,cochlear implants it provides me
with greater insight,understanding.
It provides me with greaterinsight, understanding, empathy,
and that, again, is one of thereasons why I'm so grateful for
(45:55):
this opportunity to host theHearing Matters podcast.
And then number three what arepatterns that I noticed from
interviewing experts?
I would tell you the pattern isthis we, as hearing care
professionals, need to continueto step it up and kick it up a
gear Because, again, when wewere talking earlier about the
demand for transparency ashearing care professionals,
(46:18):
today, literally the pattern isthis continue to implement best
practices and for those whoaren't, start to Because number
one, it's under your scope.
Number two if you're not, it isnot in the best interest of
your patient.
Number three you're sellingyourself short.
Number four you're a hearingcare professional, you should be
implementing what is under yourscope of practice and the tools
(46:39):
that you need and are requiredto have the best patient
outcomes.
That's honestly, probablywithin the last two or three
years, the pattern I've noticedinterviewing experts on not only
the technology but alsoindividuals who are
neuroscientists, things of thatnature.
It comes back to that patientcare, providing the best patient
care possible.
(47:02):
And I sort of wanted to add afun element here.
I wanted to read out a favoritelistener message or review and
this one came in last week.
So, so grateful for this.
Huge congratulations, blaiseDelfino.
As an early career audiologistfrom a developing country.
I found the Hearing Matterspodcast to be more than just a
(47:24):
resource.
It's been a source ofinspiration, guidance and
community.
Wow, thank you, thank you.
Thank you so much, kelvin.
That really means a lot to us.
And then there's one more.
This one was from Shelly.
I love your podcast, blaise.
Since I started listening to ita couple years ago, I don't
think I missed many.
(47:44):
You have covered everyimportant topic in hearing
healthcare.
You have covered everyimportant topic in hearing
healthcare.
You're so professional andcompassionate.
I always look forward tohearing the next episode.
Wishing you many more years ofsuccess, thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you, thank you.
I cannot say it enough.
Our team so appreciates it.
I really need to shout outAutumn Megan.
(48:07):
We are a I always say we're asmall but mighty team.
We focus on the why, which isour North Star Assisting
patients and professionals makeeducated hearing healthcare
decisions.
That is what we've been doingsince the very beginning of the
Hearing Matters podcast and justso grateful for the opportunity
(48:28):
that we have to continue toeducate the community.
So, in closing, some advice andcall to action for
professionals.
Here's what I think that we cando better as a field Continue
to lead with your heart.
Continue to keep your why asyour North Star.
Every day that you go into thatoffice, reflect and think to
(48:51):
yourself.
I have the opportunity tochange someone's life, to
reconnect a patient to theirfriends, to their family.
We are in this to help peopleconnect with life and for our
patients.
Please continue to join us onthis journey.
Every single week we release anepisode and we're so grateful
(49:13):
for the opportunity to do that.
Our mission is to educate and Iwould encourage you be a
Go-Giver, continue to be aGo-Giver.
And one way that you can do thatis to share this message, to
share future episodes withfriends or family of yours that
you believe may be strugglingwith hearing loss.
You never know that you,sharing one of our episodes,
(49:37):
could help them make thateducated decision to schedule an
appointment with a licensedhearing healthcare professional.
And you know, very soon, verysoon, we'll make an announcement
about this.
You'll be able to go tohearingmatterspodcastcom.
Type in your zip code and youwill be able to find a hearing
care professional near you.
(49:58):
So, episode 200 in the books.
I can't believe this.
What's next?
What is the vision for thefuture and the next 200 episodes
?
What does that look like thevision for the future and the
next 200 episodes.
What does that look like?
Well, what I am excited is, ofcourse, the Provider Locator on
(50:18):
Hearing Matters Podcast, and weare also going to have a hearing
screener on the website as well.
So we are enhancing our websitebecause we want to make more of
an impact and connect consumersto licensed hearing care
professionals, continue toeducate, but we are going to be
diving more into speech,language, pathology and
(50:40):
communication sciences as awhole, because, if we think
about this, communication is theexchange of ideas.
So get ready and let's continueto hear life's story In closing
.
I know I said it already, but Ijust want to thank you so much
for the opportunity to raiseawareness of Hearing Healthcare.
(51:01):
Thank you for allowing us, forsix years and 200 episodes, to
share our passion, to sharepatient stories and to hopefully
have connected you to a hearingcare professional, and if
you're a professional, I hopethat you continue to find value
(51:22):
in the content that we release.
You're tuned in to the HearingMatters podcast, the show that
discusses hearing technology,best practices and a global
epidemic hearing loss.
You tuned in to episode 200.
Thank you so much and untilnext time, hear life's story.
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