About Nashville's Hearing & Communication Center

At NHCC, we'll do in-depth questioning to understand your particular concerns and struggles and get an accurate picture of how your hearing loss affects your daily life. Expect to do most of the talking during your appointment, we're here to listen. After your full diagnostic testing and interview, you'll get a fully customized plan based on gold standard practices within audiology.

Most hearing clinics typically pay $1,100 to $2,500 per hearing aid. Then the costs of the provider's time and expertise, business expenses etc. are bundled into your total price without any transparency of what you're actually paying for.

In a bundled service model, the provider or clinic is presenting you with one set price, and you don't see how much of the total cost is the hearing aid and how much of the total cost is related to services. This model is not transparent and has resulted in the misconception that hearing aids are overpriced. At NHCC, you get the advantage of an unbundled service model. You'll always know the cost of the device and the cost of services. We itemize each service so you know exactly what you're paying for.

Real ear measurement (sometimes known as hearing aid verification) is an evidence-based practice that results in much higher patient satisfaction with their hearing aids. Uncalibrated hearing aids may be better than none at all, but in order to get the full benefit of your device you will need to have them calibrated to your specific ear and hearing loss. For example, you can pick up a pair of readers from a pharmacy or grocery store and they will improve your vision. Those glasses, however, are not tailored to your eyes the way prescription glasses from an optometrist are.

Also known as real ear measurement, hearing aid verification starts with placing a small, flexible microphone in the ear canal and then placing the hearing aid in the ear. With this microphone, we can then measure how loud the hearing aid is while it is in your ear. While the microphone measures the sound, acoustics, and shape of your ear, we are able to see the data in real time and make changes to your settings.

There are three major reasons why people are dissatisfied with their hearing aids: (1) Your hearing aids aren't verified, to ensure patients are receiving the maximum benefit of their hearing aids, the hearing aids should be verified through real-ear measurements, also known as probe microphone measurements. Patients who have had their hearing aids verified report much higher satisfaction. (2) Your hearing aids are not fit to your current hearing, hearing changes over time, and devices need to be adjusted. (3) Your hearing aids aren't the right solution for your hearing profile and lifestyle, we'll evaluate whether your devices, or a different solution, are the best fit.

As of August 17, 2022, the FDA released regulations for a new classification of hearing aid: over-the-counter hearing aids (or OTC). These devices are meant for those with a perceived mild to moderate degree of hearing loss. This may be a better entry point for a patient, and Nashville's Hearing & Communication Center offers OTC devices to patients. It could also be an accessory or assistive listening device (ALD) for a particular situation. If the only situation where the hearing loss is noticed is, say, at a theater, a personal loop system may be all you need.

Some evidence suggests that more expensive devices offer better understanding and performance in noisy places. More expensive does not mean that you will understand speech better in quiet, that the hearing aid will last longer, or that it's made of better quality. At Nashville's Hearing & Communication Center, we help you understand the differences in what is available to you as you make your decision. Once we have an understanding of what your full hearing profile looks like, your lifestyle, and your budget, we can help you make an informed decision on what device will work best for you.