Interview with Markus Hilbert, Au.D., Founding Director of Ear Works, Inc.

Topic: Aid-Finder for Hearing Aid Product Comparisons (No More Spec Books!)

CAROLYN SMAKA: Today we're speaking with Dr. Markus Hibert, the founder of Ear Works, Inc. (earworksinc.com/). Welcome, Markus, and thanks for your time today.

MARKUS HILBERT: Thank you, Carolyn.

SMAKA: Markus, can you tell me about your background?

HILBERT: Absolutely. I am an Au.D. audiologist. I started working in private practice about 14 years ago. I have always found private practice both stimulating and challenging. While patient care and counseling can be very stimulating on the one hand, you also have to deal with various levels of responsibilities such as clinical management and administration. Fourteen years ago when I first started out, things were a lot simpler both in terms of practice management and also in terms of dispensing. Hearing aid technology was analog at that time, there weren't a lot of features to choose from, and therefore the hearing aid selection process was much easier then. But now, with new generations of technology and new product introductions coming out several times a year, we're finding that it's really hard for clinicians to manage and there are not a lot of tools or resources available to them.

So, in 2005 I founded Ear Works to address some of these issues.

SMAKA: How does Ear Works address some of these challenges?

HILBERT: We offer multiple tools for practice management as well as for clinical issues and dispensing.

The whole premise of Ear Works as a company is to enable professionals in a dispensing practice to do what they do best and do it in a way that they can love what they do even more. From the practice management side, that's all about getting all clinic roles including clinicians, administrators and managers to have tools that will automate as much as possible and improve workflow, so they just have to supervise rather than spend time doing things manually. The same goes for the clinical staff and the managerial staff. Ear Works practice management solutions allow everybody in the practice to spend more time doing the things that they're good at, such as growing the practice, spending time with patients, and providing excellent customer service and customer care.



We are now into our 4th version of practice management software, and have also developed a unique tool, Aid-Finder (earworksinc.com/introducing_aidfinder/), that is offered in a separate module. This module is included in the practice management software, but now it's a stand-alone Web feature that is free.

On the Aid-Finder side, it's the same idea. With Aid-Finder, we want to make the most use of a patient's time by educating him or her before they walk into a practice. Or, Aid-Finder can be used in the clinic for patient education, counseling or staff training.

SMAKA: Tell me more about Aid-Finder, what its purpose is and how it's used.

HILBERT: Aid-Finder is a customized learning module for professionals to teach people about the hearing aids they offer. It can be used in the clinic, and also on the practice's Web site, to teach the public about hearing aids.

As I mentioned earlier, hearing aid technology and products are changing at a rapid pace. When you think of the status quo in terms of hearing aid information out there, it's the hearing aid manufacturers and online retail stores basically that are holders of information. Alternatively, the patient has to overcome a variety of barriers to come into the clinic and review product with a clinician - but there are inherent biases, myths and fears that influence that interaction from the patient's perspective.

We know that the term "hearing aid" and related key words are searched about ten million times per year on the Internet (Dybala, 2008) and this number is expected to grow. It's not only people with hearing loss, but also their spouses, children and family members - e-caregivers, if you will - looking for information about hearing aids in order to help their loved one. So, if someone is trying to learn about hearing aids and is doing online research on the Web, they have to go to manufacturers' Web sites or maybe an online retail store. This information is not always presented in a way that makes it easy for a non-user to really create a proper construct for understanding that information, and hence the clinician has to be involved. But now, with Aid-Finder, that same hearing aid information can become part of an audiology clinic or practice's Web site, part of their marketing, and most importantly part of the educational value that they provide to the community. Essentially, clinicians can counsel about product that they offer in their own way, look at content 24/7, even without being there, while educating the public user and generating an educated client who can enjoy a higher level of counseling when they do come into the clinic to discuss their product options.

A person researching hearing aids would go to a clinic's Web site and see Aid-Finder and think, "Oh, here's a tool that enables me to compare hearing aid products and features." Perhaps the person wants to compare premium products or those that have certain types of directionality or noise reduction, or perhaps just compare aids based on price, value or accessories. Maybe they're looking for hearing aids with Bluetooth compatibility, for instance, that kind of stuff. We know both anecdotally and from the research (Johnson, 2008) that most dispensing practices do not provide each and every hearing aid brand and product. With Aid-Finder, each practice decides exactly what brands and products display on their particular Aid-Finder. So it's customizable, as I mentioned. If a practice typically deals with maybe two or three manufacturers, only those manufacturers would be represented on their Aid-Finder. Consumers visiting the practice's Web site would see Aid-Finder and use this module to become educated about hearing aids by comparing products and learning about features. And they would do so in specifically the same way that the practice would counsel them had they come into the clinic themselves. As we know from Sergei Kochkin's research, it takes five to seven years on average after suspecting a hearing loss for people to take action. Aid-Finder can reduce that time frame. Now, in the middle of the night or at any time at all, if somebody's browsing the Web, they can go to your practice, compare your products and be counseled with the same verbiage that you would use in the clinic, as a clinician.

And, when these consumers want a "quote" on the products they've researched, Aid-Finder generates an appointment request in the practice. So the practice then calls and makes the appointments. So, money isn't an issue here. It's not about giving out quotes in terms of how much will the product cost - the user doesn't get that. What the person will get is a phone call or an email suggesting an appointment time to sit down and talk through those items that they've seen in Aid-Finder, or an appointment for a hearing test, and so forth. Aid-Finder drives business back to the practice, and delivers an educated consumer who may have started off not knowing anything about hearing aids. After Aid-Finder, he or she is scheduling an appointment and having an informed conversation about hearing aids.



SMAKA: So, depending on the situation, the professional may be able to start with, "Let's talk about automatic directionality and what the benefits of that are for you, I see that's one of the options you were looking at" instead of "here are the different styles of hearing aids".

HILBERT: Exactly. The counseling starts at a much higher level.
A lot of the hearing aid information on the Web is very general. Aid-Finder appeals to the engineer in us as well as to the general consumer who just needs basic hearing aid information. Consumers can read past the basic information and get into the details as deeply as we want. Not everybody is going to say, "I want to pick a certain type of noise reduction," they might say "I want to compare all premium products from these manufacturers." Aid-Finder provides different levels of comparison. Now, it may not be for a very elderly user who doesn't use a computer, but that person's son or daughter, or friend who is computer savvy, may be looking for information to help. Aid-Finder enables people to click and choose tabs and check boxes and build their own comparison, so a little bit of knowledge of the Internet is required. But most boomers and their families have that. That's who Aid-Finder was designed for in the first place.

You know, when we look at the demographic of adults that need hearing aids, the baby boomers, we really expect to see a huge spike in increased hearing aid sales, but we are not seeing that. Why not? There are several reasons, and one of the top reasons according to MarkeTrak VII is a lack of understanding or knowledge (Kochkin, 2007). Hearing aids are very confusing for consumers. If I want to buy a camcorder or any electronic device, I will research the heck out of it on various Web sites, compare products, and learn exactly what I need to know before making a purchase. And I'm going to be much more satisfied with my purchase because I did my homework and I feel confident that I made the best decision for me. Whereas a hearing aid user may have doubts - they may not be informed about hearing aids, or they may feel the professional is biased. And there's also the bias from the manufacturer. Aid-Finder removes that bias by providing straight up, information-based research. It will also drive more business to the manufacturers.

SMAKA: How will Aid-Finder drive more business to the manufacturers?

HILBERT: Aid-Finder will drive business to the manufacturers by reducing that element of fear and allowing people to learn about hearing aids in an unbiased online forum, in their own time. It will eliminate some of those delays or obstacles to seeking hearing loss treatment. People are afraid of going into a clinic or a practice - they fear some of those biases, be they real or not - and thus avoid dealing with their hearing loss altogether. Secondly, manufacturers want to be able to ensure their product information is accurate and regularly updated. With Aid-Finder, manufacturers have a log in so that they can edit and update information about their hearing aids. We've provided a very structured framework by which the hearing aids are compared, and there are fields that the manufacturers can edit to provide their product information. Manufacturers are able to position and brand themselves right next to their own competitors on Aid-Finder rather than just at their own Web sites. They deliver their product information directly to end users and/or their caregivers through the professional's Aid-Finder. And consumers who really need the information are going to get it in a much more comparative and educational way.

So if manufacturers have a certain type of processor that is represented in the system, then they can go in and update that. They can also add product release information, coupons, mail-in rebates, that kind of thing. If they want to promote themselves through Aid-Finder, they can.

SMAKA: So the professionals aren't responsible for constantly inputting data in to Aid-Finder to ensure it's up to date?

HILBERT: No - we designed it to free up professional's time. It is really about loving what we do more because, with Aid-Finder, we don't have to worry as much about our own product knowledge. My practice uses several hearing aid manufacturers, and I have a hard time staying on top of every feature on every product out there. So Aid-Finder helps me do that. I use Aid-Finder to look up the product and it will tell me exactly what features are on it. I don't have to go and find a binder, or a spec book, or price list, it's all right there on Aid-Finder. And in a busy practice, having that resource at your fingertips is like having gold.

Again, Aid-Finder allows the clinician and the manufacturer to enjoy what they do, the end user to enjoy the product more. It simplifies the process of learning about hearing solutions, and clinicians can use their valuable time more wisely in counseling. They'll have a more educated client to begin with, and the manufacturers will be able to represent themselves well and promote their own product accurately on a global level, rather than clinic by clinic.

SMAKA: You mentioned earlier that Aid-Finder can also be used in the office?

HILBERT: Absolutely. Originally, that was our idea when we put it into our practice management software, which includes a whole clinical module with subjective and objective tests, picture audiograms, counseling tools and selection tools for selecting hearing solutions. But for practices who don't use Ear Works in their clinical setting as a practice management solution, they can use Aid-Finder online at their Web site.

In our clinic we have a glass encased area where there's product demos such as FM systems, and there's also a computer where people can watch educational videos, or try Aid-Finder.

SMAKA: No more binders, spec books, or spreadsheets? So professionals really just click on one brand, select a feature like learning volume control, and then their options would be displayed?

HILBERT: Exactly.

SMAKA: I can't imagine how much time it would take someone to create and manage this on their own. Because it seems like as soon as you update your materials in your practice with the products that you dispense, new products are launched and you're updating them again.

HILBERT: Right. With Aid-Finder the updates are all centralized, so nobody has to reinvent the wheel, and since the manufacturers update it, it is always accurate.

SMAKA: How much does Aid-Finder cost?

HILBERT: Aid-Finder is a free service because we really want, on a more philosophical level, open access to this information for clinicians and consumers. We don't think that it's right that this kind of information should trickle down to the dispensers and the end users. I believe that the end users should have access to all hearing aid information without bias. So that's what Aid Finder does and it does it for free, so that's Ear Works contribution to the community, if you will.

SMAKA: Excellent, it doesn't get any better than free. Anything else you would like to mention? I'm eager to go play with Aid-Finder! (laughs)

HILBERT: (laughs). I think we've covered it. Basically, Aid-Finder is an always on, cost free, ad free, maintenance-free, easy to manage, unbiased, secure online Web plug-in, for hearing aid product comparison and learning. It's designed for people with hearing loss that have not yet worn hearing aids. Now go play! (laughs)

SMAKA: (laughs) I will! Thanks, Markus.

HILBERT: Thanks, Carolyn.



More information about Ear Works, Inc. and Aid-Finder can be found at earworksinc.com/ and at the Ear Works Inc. Web Channel at AudiologyOnline.

References

Dybala, P. (2008, August 18). Ten Million Reasons to Think About the Internet, Marketing and Your Web Site. AudiologyOnline, Article 2092. Direct URL: www.audiologyonline.com/articles/article_detail.asp?article_id=2092
Retrieved December 28, 2008, from the Articles Archive on www.audiologyonline.com

Johnson, E.E. (2008, November 10). What Is Important to Audiologists and Their Individual Decision Choice When Dispensing a Hearing Aid Brand? AudiologyOnline, Article 2140. Direct URL: www.audiologyonline.com/articles/article_detail.asp?article_id=2140. Retrieved December 28, 2008 from the Articles Archive on www.audiologyonline.com

Kochkin, S. (2007). MarkeTrak VII: Obstacles to adult non-user adoption of hearing aids. Hearing Journal, 60(4), 27-43.