Interview with W.F. Samuel Hopmeier BC-HIS, President of the International Hearing Society
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AO/Beck: Hi Sam, thanks for your time today. I should disclose to the readers you and I have known each other for some 15 years, and we've often worked together to push forward issues to advance mutual concerns of dispensers and audiologists. So having said that, why don't we start with your professional history and education? I know you've been in dispensing for three or four decades, and although I don't want to age you prematurely - you've been doing this a heck of a long time!
Hopmeier: Hi Doug. Thanks for the invitation to address the Audiology Online readers. Yes, I've been a dispenser for 37 years! As far as my formal education, I went to Washington University in St. Louis and received a B.S. degree. After that I went to Harvard Business School and graduated there in 1960 with an MBA.
AO/Beck: That's amazing. MBA's back in 1960 were kind of rare birds, weren't they?
Hopmeier: They were few and far between back then. I think there were about five prominent schools at that time and they tell me I went to the best -- but that depends upon what school you graduated from!
AO/Beck: I think that's exactly right! How long did it take to get your MBA?
Hopmeier: The MBA program at Harvard Business School was a full-time two year program. I had a military commitment and I actually had to break my MBA program into two, one year periods because of the Lebanon crisis and my ROTC program at Washington University. I was a captain when I finally left the Army.
AO/Beck: What was it that inspired you to get an MBA?
Hopmeier: I wanted to be involved in business in some form and that was the most advanced format available at the time. I was very fortunate Doug. I had the grades and the recommendations that allowed me to be accepted straight out of college. Typically, MBA programs back then wanted people with significant military experience or work experience. My classmates had anywhere from two to six years under their belts before getting into the MBA program.
AO/Beck: Sam, how did you get involved with hearing instrument dispensing?
Hopmeier: My parents purchased the Maico franchise back in 1953, pretty much everything was franchised in the 1950s. I had the opportunity to go to several conventions with them and it was so interesting for me that I would sit in the lectures and participate in some of the discussions -- even though I wasn't personally involved in the industry. Years later, after I graduated with my MBA, I went into private industry. I was in the steel industry for a while and then in the mortgage loan industry. In 1966, dad was approximately 68 years old. I began to realize that if I was going to perpetuate the practice, I would have to make that decision relatively soon. After six years of doing other things, I decided to join mom and dad in the practice.
AO/Beck: Was that practice in St. Louis?
Hopmeier: Yes, it was downtown St. Louis. We had a hearing aid dispensing practice and an audiometric sales and service practice.
AO/Beck: And I guess over the course of a few years you built the practice into 7 or 8 offices in and around Saint Louis?
Hopmeier: Yes, we had 7 offices when I decided to sell the practice on March 1,1999. I did that primarily because, unlike the history of me taking over the practice from my parents, my children were not interested, and I felt this was the best exit strategy. So I took that opportunity, but I didn't want to retire, it wasn't a retirement plan so to speak; it was more an exit strategy. So
I took a five-year contract and I'm in the fourth year of that five-year contract.
AO/Beck: Sam, let's talk about your position as the president of the International Hearing Society. Can you share your professional goals with me please?
Hopmeier: Sure Doug. As president of IHS, I'm trying to find common ground and a common understanding among the various segments of the hearing health care profession to provide the best service to the patient. It's really that simple. I think if we can each have a mutual respect and understanding of each other's roles as health care professionals, then the only other issue is providing exemplary service to the patients we serve. I thought the best way for me to achieve those goals was to be active within the International Hearing Society.
AO/Beck: Sam, can you please give me a thumbnail sketch of IHS and the members?
Hopmeier: IHS is an international organization, we have some 2800 members. Additionally, we represent some 2000+ in our 55-affiliate chapters. The majority of members of the International Hearing Society have college experience and/or degrees, but they are not necessarily degreed in a specific profession such as hearing instrument dispensing. One thing we really focus on is continuing education, and we do that through a division of IHS known as the International Institute in Hearing Instruments Studies (IIHIS). That division provides exams for 37 of the states in the USA and two of the provinces of Canada. The IIHIS distance learning program consists of a training manual, containing 29 chapters and corresponding exams, and is supported by five different textbooks. It is designed to be an integral part of a more formalized internship or training program. So again, education is one of our focuses, and although we believe we do a good job there, we're always trying to improve.
AO/Beck: As IHS president, do you have ongoing discussions with AAA or ASHA to push forward areas of mutual interest?
Hopmeier: Yes. I recently attended the HIA meeting. The IHS, AAA, ADA, and ASHA were all there. We each give our state of the union speeches and had an opportunity to have mutual discussions in that venue. Each of us has the opportunity to communicate with the other presidents and I will indeed make a concerted effort to call each of those presidents to define mutually beneficial goals we can work on.
AO/Beck: Sam, can you tell me about the dispenser degree programs that I've been hearing about lately?
Hopmeier: There are two schools in the United States and a third opening shortly. Spokane Falls Community College and the Arkansas State University-Mountain Home are up and running and the third will open in Western Kentucky; each offers a two-year program in Hearing Health Sciences. It is my understanding that each of the programs offer web based distance learning and as well as campus based-learning. Mountain Home will graduate their first class this spring (2003) with their associate's degree in Hearing Health Sciences. This gives an opportunity to young people to find a career opportunity in the field of Hearing Health Sciences and the interest in that profession is growing as many universities are willing to offer that curriculum. There are also three programs in Canada, Grant McKewen, George Brown, and Rosemont College in Quebec.
AO/Beck: How long have associate degree programs been available in Hearing Instrument Sciences?
Hopmeier: In Canada it's been about five or six years. Actually, the program in Quebec predates that, but I believe they offer it in French only. In the USA, I believe Spokane has been around for about three years now, Mountain Home about two years, and Western Kentucky is about to start.
AO/Beck: Sam, can you tell me the issues that are most important to you as the president of IHS?
Hopmeier: The most important and only consideration is the consumer. We all bemoan the fact that the market is much larger than the number of people availing themselves to hearing health care correction. Part of that is due to the nature of the problem, hearing loss is a unique malady that defies a uniform correction pattern. But part of the problem is the inability of the various members of the team to work together. A variety of efforts have been made to accomplish that and various members have made attempts to bring the groups together. I think we would all benefit if we could sit at the same table on a consistent basis, keep the consumer in mind, and communicate and cooperate better with each other.
AO/Beck: Sam, what do we need to do to improve market penetration?
Hopmeier: Great question! I am not sure I have the answer, but until the hearing aid becomes an all purpose communication device, I doubt we'll see a major change in the market. Once that happens, it will become a universal product, the stigma will no longer exist and the ability to use it discretely for various purposes will be underlined by versatility and desirability! In fact, rather than a stigma, it could become a status symbol, like cell phones or the Walk-Man.
AO/Beck: I agree. I can imagine a time when patients would go to a cosmetic counter and have a communication device made, similar to an earmold. But - when it's finished, it will perfectly matched with tint and color and will look identical to the ear. Within that shell would be computer chips that can be activated and programmed for TV, Radio, MP3, CD, DVD, your cell phone and a hand-held remote control to program and manage everything. Of course, one of the chips, which could only be accessed and programmed by a licensed professional, would be the hearing aid function.
Hopmeier: Absolutely! That's exactly what I envision. We're all in situations where even though we have normal hearing, a little amplification comes in handy. In the automobile you turn up the radio a little bit louder because of the road noise, etc. So I can see the hearing aid being part of a universal product. Of course the dispensing laws in all the states and the FDA will control some of that to some degree, but there's no telling what the upshot of all that will be when it's all said and done.
AO/Beck: Sam, it's always a pleasure to speak with you. You've been very generous with your time.
Hopmeier: Thanks Doug. It's been a lot of fun for me too. Thanks for the opportunity and best wishes to you.
Hopmeier: Hi Doug. Thanks for the invitation to address the Audiology Online readers. Yes, I've been a dispenser for 37 years! As far as my formal education, I went to Washington University in St. Louis and received a B.S. degree. After that I went to Harvard Business School and graduated there in 1960 with an MBA.
AO/Beck: That's amazing. MBA's back in 1960 were kind of rare birds, weren't they?
Hopmeier: They were few and far between back then. I think there were about five prominent schools at that time and they tell me I went to the best -- but that depends upon what school you graduated from!
AO/Beck: I think that's exactly right! How long did it take to get your MBA?
Hopmeier: The MBA program at Harvard Business School was a full-time two year program. I had a military commitment and I actually had to break my MBA program into two, one year periods because of the Lebanon crisis and my ROTC program at Washington University. I was a captain when I finally left the Army.
AO/Beck: What was it that inspired you to get an MBA?
Hopmeier: I wanted to be involved in business in some form and that was the most advanced format available at the time. I was very fortunate Doug. I had the grades and the recommendations that allowed me to be accepted straight out of college. Typically, MBA programs back then wanted people with significant military experience or work experience. My classmates had anywhere from two to six years under their belts before getting into the MBA program.
AO/Beck: Sam, how did you get involved with hearing instrument dispensing?
Hopmeier: My parents purchased the Maico franchise back in 1953, pretty much everything was franchised in the 1950s. I had the opportunity to go to several conventions with them and it was so interesting for me that I would sit in the lectures and participate in some of the discussions -- even though I wasn't personally involved in the industry. Years later, after I graduated with my MBA, I went into private industry. I was in the steel industry for a while and then in the mortgage loan industry. In 1966, dad was approximately 68 years old. I began to realize that if I was going to perpetuate the practice, I would have to make that decision relatively soon. After six years of doing other things, I decided to join mom and dad in the practice.
AO/Beck: Was that practice in St. Louis?
Hopmeier: Yes, it was downtown St. Louis. We had a hearing aid dispensing practice and an audiometric sales and service practice.
AO/Beck: And I guess over the course of a few years you built the practice into 7 or 8 offices in and around Saint Louis?
Hopmeier: Yes, we had 7 offices when I decided to sell the practice on March 1,1999. I did that primarily because, unlike the history of me taking over the practice from my parents, my children were not interested, and I felt this was the best exit strategy. So I took that opportunity, but I didn't want to retire, it wasn't a retirement plan so to speak; it was more an exit strategy. So
I took a five-year contract and I'm in the fourth year of that five-year contract.
AO/Beck: Sam, let's talk about your position as the president of the International Hearing Society. Can you share your professional goals with me please?
Hopmeier: Sure Doug. As president of IHS, I'm trying to find common ground and a common understanding among the various segments of the hearing health care profession to provide the best service to the patient. It's really that simple. I think if we can each have a mutual respect and understanding of each other's roles as health care professionals, then the only other issue is providing exemplary service to the patients we serve. I thought the best way for me to achieve those goals was to be active within the International Hearing Society.
AO/Beck: Sam, can you please give me a thumbnail sketch of IHS and the members?
Hopmeier: IHS is an international organization, we have some 2800 members. Additionally, we represent some 2000+ in our 55-affiliate chapters. The majority of members of the International Hearing Society have college experience and/or degrees, but they are not necessarily degreed in a specific profession such as hearing instrument dispensing. One thing we really focus on is continuing education, and we do that through a division of IHS known as the International Institute in Hearing Instruments Studies (IIHIS). That division provides exams for 37 of the states in the USA and two of the provinces of Canada. The IIHIS distance learning program consists of a training manual, containing 29 chapters and corresponding exams, and is supported by five different textbooks. It is designed to be an integral part of a more formalized internship or training program. So again, education is one of our focuses, and although we believe we do a good job there, we're always trying to improve.
AO/Beck: As IHS president, do you have ongoing discussions with AAA or ASHA to push forward areas of mutual interest?
Hopmeier: Yes. I recently attended the HIA meeting. The IHS, AAA, ADA, and ASHA were all there. We each give our state of the union speeches and had an opportunity to have mutual discussions in that venue. Each of us has the opportunity to communicate with the other presidents and I will indeed make a concerted effort to call each of those presidents to define mutually beneficial goals we can work on.
AO/Beck: Sam, can you tell me about the dispenser degree programs that I've been hearing about lately?
Hopmeier: There are two schools in the United States and a third opening shortly. Spokane Falls Community College and the Arkansas State University-Mountain Home are up and running and the third will open in Western Kentucky; each offers a two-year program in Hearing Health Sciences. It is my understanding that each of the programs offer web based distance learning and as well as campus based-learning. Mountain Home will graduate their first class this spring (2003) with their associate's degree in Hearing Health Sciences. This gives an opportunity to young people to find a career opportunity in the field of Hearing Health Sciences and the interest in that profession is growing as many universities are willing to offer that curriculum. There are also three programs in Canada, Grant McKewen, George Brown, and Rosemont College in Quebec.
AO/Beck: How long have associate degree programs been available in Hearing Instrument Sciences?
Hopmeier: In Canada it's been about five or six years. Actually, the program in Quebec predates that, but I believe they offer it in French only. In the USA, I believe Spokane has been around for about three years now, Mountain Home about two years, and Western Kentucky is about to start.
AO/Beck: Sam, can you tell me the issues that are most important to you as the president of IHS?
Hopmeier: The most important and only consideration is the consumer. We all bemoan the fact that the market is much larger than the number of people availing themselves to hearing health care correction. Part of that is due to the nature of the problem, hearing loss is a unique malady that defies a uniform correction pattern. But part of the problem is the inability of the various members of the team to work together. A variety of efforts have been made to accomplish that and various members have made attempts to bring the groups together. I think we would all benefit if we could sit at the same table on a consistent basis, keep the consumer in mind, and communicate and cooperate better with each other.
AO/Beck: Sam, what do we need to do to improve market penetration?
Hopmeier: Great question! I am not sure I have the answer, but until the hearing aid becomes an all purpose communication device, I doubt we'll see a major change in the market. Once that happens, it will become a universal product, the stigma will no longer exist and the ability to use it discretely for various purposes will be underlined by versatility and desirability! In fact, rather than a stigma, it could become a status symbol, like cell phones or the Walk-Man.
AO/Beck: I agree. I can imagine a time when patients would go to a cosmetic counter and have a communication device made, similar to an earmold. But - when it's finished, it will perfectly matched with tint and color and will look identical to the ear. Within that shell would be computer chips that can be activated and programmed for TV, Radio, MP3, CD, DVD, your cell phone and a hand-held remote control to program and manage everything. Of course, one of the chips, which could only be accessed and programmed by a licensed professional, would be the hearing aid function.
Hopmeier: Absolutely! That's exactly what I envision. We're all in situations where even though we have normal hearing, a little amplification comes in handy. In the automobile you turn up the radio a little bit louder because of the road noise, etc. So I can see the hearing aid being part of a universal product. Of course the dispensing laws in all the states and the FDA will control some of that to some degree, but there's no telling what the upshot of all that will be when it's all said and done.
AO/Beck: Sam, it's always a pleasure to speak with you. You've been very generous with your time.
Hopmeier: Thanks Doug. It's been a lot of fun for me too. Thanks for the opportunity and best wishes to you.
