Sonova has signed an agreement to acquire Alpaca Audiology, one of the largest independent networks of audiological care clinics in the United States, for $310 million. Founded in 2011, Alpaca has over 500 employees and operates around 220 clinics across the country.
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A month-by-month list of some of the year’s most important news items from ‘The Hearing Review.’
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GN Hearing has acquired a controlling interest in online hearing care provider Lively, obtaining a 91% ownership stake in the company for $94.8 million.
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Researchers from NAL provide objective measures that characterize the acoustic performance of AirPods Pro headphones. The results suggest that, while differences to traditional hearing aids exist, the device’s Headphone Accommodations provide amplification to help people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss hear sounds more easily and allow them to experience the benefits of amplification.
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The $1.9 trillion Build Back Better Act was passed by the US House of Representatives on Friday, November 19, and is now with the Senate for what is sure to be a bumpy ride. The bill includes coverage of hearing aids once every 5 years for people with severe to profound hearing loss, as well as funding for universal preschool, expanded Child Tax Credits, several health and pandemic-related initiatives, renewable energy credits, and more.
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Citing strong product offerings and pent-up demand for its hearing aids and diagnostic equipment, Demant issued an upgrade in its earnings guidance to investors on November 2.
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The “Build Back Better” legislation being considered by Congress would provide Medicare coverage of hearing aids and services once per ear every 5 years, and now includes audiologists, hearing aid specialists, and other qualified healthcare providers.
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The National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) in Australia has addressed masking and language comprehension problems by developing the free NALscribe iPad app that clinics can use to make communication easier for people struggling to hear.
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Kathy Dowd, AuD, provides an update on what we know about diabetes and hearing loss, as well as her and colleagues’ advocacy efforts to inform consumers, hearing care professionals, and medical professionals about this important topic.
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The 114-page rules document published today in the Federal Register covers most aspects related to OTC hearing aid manufacturing, electroacoustic requirements, packaging and labeling, returns, and conditions for sale. In an effort to promote more consistency in the regulations and enforcement of hearing aid manufacturing and distribution, the FDA is also proposing several important changes that could affect the industry and state-wide hearing aid dispensing.
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To ensure patient safety, the proposed rule addresses maximum output limits and includes certain device performance and design requirements, such as distortion control limits, self-generated noise limits, latency limits, frequency bandwidth, as well as a requirement to limit the insertion depth of the device. The proposed rule also includes labeling requirements for OTC hearing aids. As hoped, the FDA also issued an updated draft guidance, “Regulatory Requirements for Hearing Aid Devices and Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs).”
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Alpaca has acquired Lake Erie Hearing which has two hearing care practice locations in Lorain and Sandusky, Ohio.
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The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) AuDACITY convention is scheduled for October 25-27 at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront in Portland, Ore, and will highlight the many growth areas in audiology today, as well as those on the near horizon.
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About 350 hearing care practice owners attended, both in-person and virtually, the third annual AudBoss Private Practice Summit in early October at the Confidante Hotel in Miami Beach.
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“We are pleased to add Mainline Audiology to our growing list of hearing clinics,” said Alpaca President Brian Vesely. “Dr Kathy Landau Goodman and her practice have a phenomenal reputation in their local market and within the larger audiology community.”
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