Where is the audiology industry headed? More than 200 practice owners convened at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, Calif this month to tackle that critical question and plan a positive future for patients and hearing care teams at Audigy’s annual Owner Summit. Audigy, a management company whose members consist of independently owned audiology practices, announced the highlights of the event, which took place February 20-24.

The event, exclusive to practice owners and hosted by Audigy founder and CEO Brandon Dawson and the rest of the Audigy executive team, featured an intensive multiday offering of keynote presentations, workshops, and roundtables emphasizing leadership, innovation, business discipline, and patient-oriented care.

“The patient is always at the core of our industry’s success,” said Dawson. “So the question becomes, how do you keep your practice and your team consistently aligned with patients’ needs to ensure a profitable business that continues to deliver the highest-quality care? Owner Summit provides an opportunity to focus on the strategies that support that goal.”

This year’s guest speakers included veteran business consultant Andrea Howe, who discussed the power and importance of trust building in becoming the go-to hearing care expert in people’s lives. Howe, founder of the Get Real Project and co-author of The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook, also focused on ways to be consistently distinctive in a price-sensitive market.

Some additional Owner Summit highlights:

  • With each of the three main educational days focused on a different theme — industry, leadership, or patient experience — attendees and presenters could more comprehensively discuss relevant barriers, solutions, and opportunities underpinning the respective issues.
  • From the future availability of regulated over-the-counter hearing aids to the continued rise of third-party payers, industry changes are on the minds of many private-practice owners, but Audigy research and analysis shows that disruptions can be to their benefit.
  • Goal setting is crucial to success but can prove to be one of the most challenging tasks in a world rife with distractions, demands, and daily deadlines. In a session dedicated to business discipline, Audigy leadership deconstructed the steps to setting goals and making them happen.
  • Dawson announced Audigy’s Structured Success leadership program slated to launch the first week of April 2019 and aimed to help practice owners and providers tap into their highest potential through educational conferences, retreats, and exclusive online content.

“There has never been a better time to be in this industry, and the market makes that clear,” said Dawson, reiterating a core message from the summit. “From the ever-growing need for high-quality hearing care to the amount of money flowing in, the future looks bright for those who make themselves visible in their markets, operate at the highest efficiencies, and put their patients first.”

Source: Audigy

Photo: Audigy