Solving Audiology Issues Through Action (Week #13): Audiologists

This is the next to last installment in my now 13-week series on the issues affecting the profession of audiology. I have addressed:

§ Third-party payers/administrators

§ Audiology awareness

§ AuD education

§ Scope creep

§ Hearing aid manufacturers

§ Buying/management groups

§ Physicians

§ Certification

§ Licensure

§ Advocacy

§ Accreditation

§ Associations

The one thing that all of these have in common is the involvement or engagement of audiologists.

I am an audiologist and have been for almost 27 years. I have been blessed with fantastic mentors and colleagues. These touchpoints and individuals have changed my life, only for the better. I have worked at wonderful institutions and organizations. This profession has given me a great deal.

I have seen many things from my professional vantage point over the years. I experience, daily, some exceptional examples of engagement, advocacy, patient care, and independence. Not all of what I have seen or experienced though has been positive. I want to stress that nothing I note applies to EVERY audiologist. My focus below is related to a critical mass of audiologists, unfortunately, having a huge negative impact on the profession as a whole.

Here are some things I have seen from audiologists that, in my opinion, has helped lead us, as a profession, to where we are today:

§ Some audiologists will sign anything, without reading it and without having it reviewed by counsel. Then they are mad about the outcome. This might be a managed care or third-party administrator agreement or an agreement with a buying group or manufacturer.

§ Many audiologists have relationships with vendors that are ethically and legally questionable. The have little reviewed by legal counsel. They will accept anything, go anywhere, and say anything yet never question how these actions affect the end cost of products, specifically hearing aids.

§ Many audiologists depend on their buying groups and manufacturers for EVERYTHING and have, as a result, relegated many professional responsibilities to entities that, in actuality, are often their competitors.

§ Many audiologists join and support national audiology organizations blindly, without questioning their actions or motives or holding them accountable. As a result, these organizations continue to exist unfettered and without responsibility to represent their members and their interests.

§ A large percentage of audiologists still obtain certification, without question, and despite the fact that most licensure does not require it.

§ Audiologists refuse to band together to lower their prices and exert leverage on manufacturers, but continually lament about their inability to compete with entities who receive lower prices. Its every man for themselves, even though that, in the long run, could hurt themselves more.

§ Very few audiologists actually read journals, articles, studies, and reports that have a huge influence and impact on their profession and work. As a result, many react and respond out of fear rather than knowledge.

§ The majority of audiologists, per the data, do not consistently practice evidence based care and do not fully practice to their full, state defined scope of practice.

§ Many audiologists are not engaged or supportive of their state associations. These organizations and their lobbyists’ primary goal is to protect the scope of audiologists in a given state. Yet, all of them struggle financially because of lack of audiology support.

§ There is a large percentage of audiologists who do not engage or support the next generation of audiologists, through preceptorship and mentorship, even though they, themselves, were mentored.

§ The majority of audiologists do not volunteer for state and national organizations nor do we support their advocacy initiatives, either through personal action or financial support.

§ Many audiologists do not practice audiology to its fullest scope.

§ Too many audiologists are apathetic and unengaged.

§ Too many audiologists feel they are victims, rather than owning their role in our collective situation and doing their part in changing the narrative.

§ Too many audiologists refuse to evolve and change and recognize that the world of today is not the same world of 20 years ago. Technology has expanded. Consumers are different. The healthcare and retails arenas have changed. Yet, we, have not.

I am sure I will anger people. But please understand that I am not just trying to be provocative but rather trying to force thought, discussion, self-reflection and change. Please prove me wrong OR do what you can, in your part of the audiology world, to change the situation and narrative.

Here are some thoughts I hope all of us will ponder:

1.    Are you a member of your state association? Why or why not? Do you help fund, to the best of your ability, their advocacy initiatives? Let’s use Illinois as an example, if HALF of the audiologists in Illinois donated $50 a year to the Illinois Academy of Audiology, they could fund the lobbyist on these donations ONLY.

2.    Do you feel the national associations you are a member of are representing your interests? Yes or No? If yes, do you volunteer and fund, to the best of your ability, their advocacy initiatives? If no, why do you re-join and/or re-certify? If every audiologists gave $10 towards advocacy, you could fund a DC lobbyist.

3.    Do you make your own decisions for your practice or do you divert responsibilities to third-parties? If no, why not?

4.    Do you read the academic literature and articles? If np, why not?

5.    Do you consistently practice evidence based care? If no, why not?

6.    Do you practice to your full scope of practice? If no, why not?

7.    How do you think patients would feel if they knew of your relationships and actions with industry and buying groups?

8.    What is our role in the proliferation and growth of third-party administrators?

Former President, Barack Obama, summarized this perfectly: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”. Only YOU can change YOU. What happens next in audiology depends on our collective response to the issues that affect our profession that I have discussed over the last three months.  

I am still VERY EXCITED about the future of audiology and am rejuvenated, every day, by the actions and work of many of my colleagues and the students we teach and mentor. So many amazing opportunities exist. We just have to grab them. We just have to practice evidence based audiology. We need to make informed decisions for ourselves. The next generation of audiologists have a bright future ahead of them. They just need mentors to help them chart a path forward WITH THEM.

I love this profession and my personal commitment will not waiver. What about you?