AudiologyOnline Phone: 800-753-2160


How Can Counseling Elevate the Patient Experience?

Jackie Phillips, AuD, Jeanette Fitzke, AuD, Don Kim, AuD

October 7, 2019

Share:

Question

How can counseling elevate the patient experience?

Answer

Jackie Phillips, AuD: Counseling boosts confidence and builds trust. It can help your patients feel that you’re the right professional to help them. Using the latest and most advanced technologies demonstrates that you take your patients and their challenges seriously. Listening to your patients’ specific needs and basing your diagnostics around them is an effective way to build connections. Counseling also helps patients become confident that amplification will improve their lives.

Jeanette Fitzke, AuD: Counseling creates the opportunity to discuss expectations from the beginning of the appointment. 

An important part of counseling is discussing and aligning expectations. And, it’s important that patients understand what to expect upfront rather than at the tail end of the counseling process. Conduct all the assessments required for a professional counseling process to uncover any unknowns early in the process. Discussing expectations early on means your patients will understand their amplification and hearing aid choices and be happier with them in the end.

Don Kim, AuD:​ Counseling―that personalized attention―ensures that your patients will return to you. You know that working with patients to fine tune their hearing aids to suit their preferences and lifestyle is part of every successful fitting. Make sure they know it too – and that they understand that returning to your clinic for adjustments is not only allowed, but strongly encouraged. But what if they don’t buy a hearing aid on the first visit? Establishing loyalty and trust through counseling and a personalized experience with the professional helps to anchor your patient to your clinic and makes it more likely that the customers will return to your shop, even if you do not make the sale on the first visit.

This Ask the Expert is an excerpt from the interview, Rethink Audiology: Delivering Personalized Care In the Age of Over-the-Counter Solutions.​​


jackie phillips

Jackie Phillips, AuD

National Key Account Manager, Otoscan - Otometrics, a division of Natus

Jackie Allen Phillips, AuD, serves as the National Key Account Manager, Otoscan for Otometrics, a division of Natus. In this capacity, Dr. Phillips works closely with National Key Account Manager Don D. Kim, AuD, and a team of Field Clinical Audiologists to lead customer education and training specific to the Otoscan 3D ear scanning solution. More specifically, she is responsible for developing corporate and key account relationships; which includes establishing structure, governance, and guidance as well as driving and leading selected corporate and key strategic accounts. Prior to joining Otometrics, Dr. Phillips worked with Siemens Hearing Instruments in various roles, including Senior Manager of Government & Contract Services, and Senior Account Representative. Before working on the manufacturing side of audiology, Dr. Phillips worked 7 years in a clinical capacity for Houston Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic. 

In addition to her bachelor of Science degree in communication disorders from Stephen F. Austin University, Dr. Phillips holds a master’s degree in audiology from Lamar University and a doctorate of audiology from A. T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences. She is currently a member of the American Speech Hearing Association and American Academy of Audiology and holds her Clinical Certificate of Competency in Audiology.


jeanette fitzke

Jeanette Fitzke, AuD

Team Lead and Field Clinical Specialist, West region, Otometrics, a division of Natus

Jeanette Fitzke, AuD, joined Otometrics, division of Natus, in February 2015 as the West Regional Field Clinical Audiologist where she has trained several providers and given multiple local, state and national presentations and lectures on a variety of Audiology, Vestibular, Telehealth, and Business related topics pertinent to the hearing and balance healthcare industry.  She has 17 years of clinical experience in such settings as ENT, hospital, and multi-specialty clinics where she worked with a variety of age populations and focused on diagnostics, hearing aid services, vestibular care, and electrophysiological testing.  

Dr. Fitzke obtained her B.S. from University of Arizona, M.S. from Arizona State University and AuD from A.T. Still University.  She is currently a member of the American Speech Hearing Association and American Academy of Audiology and holds her Clinical Certificate of Competency in Audiology.


don kim

Don Kim, AuD

National Key Account Manager, Otoscan - Otometrics, a division of Natus

Don Kim, AuD, serves as the National Key Account Manager, Otoscan for Otometrics, a division of Natus. In this capacity, Dr. Kim works closely with National Key Account Manager Jackie Allen Phillips, AuD, and a team of Field Clinical Audiologists to lead customer education and training specific to the Otoscan 3D ear scanning solution. Previous to his current role, he was a Field Clinical Specialist for Otometrics where he has trained over 1000 providers and given over 200 National and Regional presentations and lectures on a variety of Audiology, Vestibular, Telehealth, and Business related topics pertinent to the hearing and balance healthcare industry. Prior to his corporate career, Dr. Kim has gained experience in a variety of practice and clinical settings. He has owned a private practice and served as Director of Audiology for several clinics where he has been responsible for the business growth, development of audiology protocols, and optimizing the business/workflow within the clinic.  In addition, his experiences have awarded him the opportunity to lead two start-ups in the audiology industry.  Dr. Kim received his Doctor of Audiology degree from East Tennessee State University and obtained his Bachelor in Science in Mathematics from Birmingham-Southern College.  

Dr. Kim received his Doctorate in Audiology from East Tennessee State University and his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Birmingham-Southern College.


Related Courses

AURICAL HIT Applications Part 1 - Applications for Hearing Instrument Fittings and Beyond
Presented by Wendy Switalski, AuD, Jack Scott, PhD
Recorded Webinar
Natus

Presenters

Wendy Switalski, AuDJack Scott, PhD
Course: #28678Level: Intermediate1 Hour
  'Good communicator'   Read Reviews
Hearing instrument test boxes can provide clinicians with invaluable information about hearing instrument function, from evaluating technical status using electroacoustic analysis to assessing gain and output and advanced feature performance. This course will highlight the process for each of these using the Otometrics Aurical HIT. Additionally, clinical applications for these techniques will be overviewed.

View this Course for FREE.
Need CEUs? Become a AudiologyOnline member to get unlimited CEUs.

Only $129/yr

Learn More

ICS Impulse – Revolutionizing Vestibular Assessment
Presented by Wendy Crumley-Welsh, MS, CCC-A
Recorded Webinar
Natus

Presenter

Wendy Crumley-Welsh, MS, CCC-A
Course: #22641Level: Intermediate1 Hour
  'very detailed explanation'   Read Reviews
No CEUs/Hours Offered
ICS Impulse makes head impulse testing accessible for any clinician. This course will cover what is gained by performing the head impulse, how to perform the head impulse, and how does the data obtained assist in the diagnosis and treatment of the patient and how does it fit into our current battery of tests.

View this Course for FREE.
Need CEUs? Become a AudiologyOnline member to get unlimited CEUs.

Only $129/yr

Learn More

Aurical Audiometer: Basic Operation and Features
Presented by Marco Jurado, AuD, CCC-A
Recorded Webinar
Natus

Presenter

Marco Jurado, AuD, CCC-A
Course: #1742Level: Introductory1 Hour
  'I was not familiar with OTOsuite because we have a different system in our office'   Read Reviews
No CEUs/Hours Offered
The purpose of this course is to provide introductory instruction on the Aurical Aud audiometer. This course is designed to provide a basic tutorial on using the Aurical Aud to perform audiometric evaluations. This course will provide an overview of hardware and OTOsuite software, demonstrate basic operation, manipulation of test/display options and settings, and report setup and printing.

View this Course for FREE.
Need CEUs? Become a AudiologyOnline member to get unlimited CEUs.

Only $129/yr

Learn More

Quick Guide to VNG Interpretation
Presented by Amanda Cerka Mroz, AuD, FAAA, CCC-A
Recorded Webinar
Natus

Presenter

Amanda Cerka Mroz, AuD, FAAA, CCC-A
Course: #1489Level: Intermediate1 Hour
  'Very clear, easy to follow, good material to reference back to in the future'   Read Reviews
No CEUs/Hours Offered
The purpose of this course is to describe the VNG test battery in the context of the anatomy and physiology of the balance system. Examples of common VNG abnormalities will be shown.

View this Course for FREE.
Need CEUs? Become a AudiologyOnline member to get unlimited CEUs.

Only $129/yr

Learn More

Aurical Audiometer: Basic Operation and Features
Presented by Marco Jurado, AuD, CCC-A
Recorded Webinar
Natus

Presenter

Marco Jurado, AuD, CCC-A
Course: #36823Level: Intermediate1 Hour
The purpose of this course is to provide introductory instruction on the Aurical Aud audiometer. This course is designed to provide a basic tutorial on using the Aurical Aud to perform audiometric evaluations. This course will provide an overview of hardware and OTOsuite software, demonstrate basic operation, manipulation of test/display options and settings, and report setup and printing.

View this Course for FREE.
Need CEUs? Become a AudiologyOnline member to get unlimited CEUs.

Only $129/yr

Learn More

Our site uses cookies to improve your experience. By using our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.