Although we all recognize the big differences between a night at a budget motel and a night at the Ritz Carlton, some people incorrectly believe that all hearing tests are the same. The truth is that the differences are just as vast.
With hearing tests being available online, at your local big box store, and what feels like on every street corner at the moment, it’s important that you make a smart decision when choosing where you have your hearing tested to prioritize your long-term hearing health.
The biggest challenge is that it’s difficult to understand the differences. That’s why, in this article, I’m going to explain the key differences between the hearing test that you can have at a big box store, our standard hearing evaluation, and our advanced “Hear Wellness Assessment.”
My hope is that it will help you to understand the vast differences and make the best possible decision for your circumstances and long-term healthcare.
It’s important that you start with the end in mind.
The purpose of a hearing evaluation is most importantly to analyze your hearing health and pinpoint why you may be experiencing hearing challenges and what your treatment options may look like.
From testing thousands of people’s hearing, we have learned that there is an array of reasons why you may be struggling to hear. It could simply be a buildup of earwax, it could be an auditory processing challenge, or it could even be a more serious medical challenge that requires an immediate referral.
This is why we’ve been so passionate about advanced hearing assessments to ensure that you’re not being diagnosed with a hearing loss based on a simple “beep beep” test that could potentially miss a more serious condition and incorrectly prescribe you with a set of hearing aids.
The key differences
To understand the key differences between a standard hearing test from a big box store, our standard evaluation, and our advanced Hear Wellness Assessment, I’ve included a comparison chart below.
As you can see, a big box store predominantly focuses on two things.
They run a pure-tone test which is where you respond when you hear different beeps, which is a basic form of hearing test. They then share the results and make a recommendation which is typically to purchase a set of hearing aids.
Our standard evaluation is much more advanced, as it starts by understanding your case history, who you are, and what you’re looking to achieve. We then look into your ears using a video otoscope (a small video camera) to check your overall hearing health and ensure everything is functioning correctly. Following this, we run two different types of tests, a speech-in-noise test where you’re asked to repeat words with different degrees of background noise and a pure tone test. Following this, we’ll discuss the results and our recommendations as well as send a detailed report to your physician.
We then have our Hear Wellness Assessment which is a highly advanced hearing health check-up. It has an out-of-pocket cost of $295.00 which can be redeemed against any of our treatment plans.
This includes all of the above and also includes:
Which option is right for you?
I hope that the above explains some of the key differences between the different tests available and how Duncan Hearing Health Care prioritizes your long-term hearing health through advanced and comprehensive testing.
To learn more about our Hearing Wellness Assessment, you can click here.
If you’re unsure which type of hearing evaluation is right for your unique needs and circumstances, then simply call your local office and we’ll ask you some questions to help understand which is right for you and help you to schedule your appointment.
