02/07/2026
Okay, let’s talk about it ⬇️
1️⃣ “Free” Hearing Tests
The hearing evaluation is the MOST integral part of assessing your auditory system.
When it’s advertised as “free,” it immediately devalues the service — and in some cases, it opens the door for key components of testing to be rushed or skipped altogether.
It’s also often used purely as a sales tactic to get you in the door… which leads me to my next ick ⬇️
2️⃣ Gimmicky Marketing
Nothing grinds my gears more than this one.
Gift cards for showing up.
“Up to 50% off devices.”
Flash sales.
Let’s call it what it is — doing whatever it takes to get you in the door to SELL 👏🏻 YOU 👏🏻.
And that “50% off”? It’s usually off the MSRP of the lowest level technology… meaning little to no real savings.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Your hearing health is tied to your overall health — it shouldn’t be packaged with a free gas card 🙄
3️⃣ Third Party Programs
I could make a whole series on this, but here’s the piece that gives me the ick:
Providers who demonize or blame offices that accept third party (hi, it’s me 🙋🏼♀️) as “the problem.”
Respectfully… we’re not.
If manufacturers didn’t sell devices to third parties at lower costs than they sell to private practices, this wouldn’t even be a conversation. But they do — because their unit sales have absolutely SKYROCKETED.
It’s easy to say “just don’t accept third party” when you’ve had 20, 30, 40+ years to build your reputation — before TPAs even existed.
As a newer private practice owner in Ohio in 2026 — where the vast majority of my patients have a third-party benefit — simply refusing to help them isn’t an option.
So maybe keep that in mind before placing blame on the rest of us 🤗
