The Hearing Matters Podcast: Hearing Aids, Hearing Technology and Tinnitus

Hearing Matters

Welcome to the #1 Hearing Aid & Hearing Health Podcast with Blaise M. Delfino, M.S. - HIS! We combine education, entertainment, and all things hearing aid-related in one ear-pleasing package!In each episode, we'll unravel the mysteries of the auditory system, decode the latest advancements in hearing technology, and explore the unique challenges faced by individuals with hearing loss. But don't worry, we promise our discussions won't go in one ear and out the other!From heartwarming personal stories to mind-blowing research breakthroughs, the Hearing Matters Podcast is your go-to destination for all things related to hearing health. Get ready to laugh, learn, and join a vibrant community that believes that hearing matters - because it truly does!

  1. 2D AGO

    Real ear measurements (REM) and best practices

    Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever wondered why two “good” hearing aid fittings can feel wildly different to a patient, the answer usually isn’t the device, it’s the process. I’m joined by Madison Levine, BC-HIS and owner of Levine Hearing in Charlotte, and Dr. Dave Fabry, Chief Hearing Health Officer at Starkey, for a practical conversation about best practices in hearing health care that actually improve patient outcomes. We get specific about what belongs in a modern best-practice toolkit: strong case history and counseling, real ear measurement (REM) for verification, and speech-in-noise testing (like QuickSIN) that matches how people struggle in the real world. Dave explains his REM goals (smooth real ear aided response, three input levels, MPO sweeps, LDL/UCL) and why “hitting target” is a starting line, not the finish. Madison shares how her clinic bakes verification and outcome measures into the workflow without slowing the day down, and how data logging turns follow-ups into smarter, calmer conversations. We also dig into innovation, including how immersive sound simulation with systems like Inventis Symphonia can help demonstrate noise features, personalize settings, and validate a patient’s experience. Along the way we touch on the ear-brain connection, motivation for first-time users, and what to implement tomorrow if you can only change one thing. Subscribe for more conversations on hearing loss, hearing aids, audiology best practices, and better communication, then share this episode with a colleague and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Visit our website and take our quick online hearing screener.  And if you're ready to take the next step, our online hearing care provider locator can help you find a trusted hearing care professional near you. Taking that first step can make a meaningful difference, helping you stay connecting to the people and moments that matter most.  Omega AI hearing aids don’t just keep up. They redefine what it means to be modern and discreet yet durable and comfortable for all-day wear. They’re waterproof, everyday-proof, and designed to go the distance of your day and then some. All while tailored to your unique hearing needs. Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

    47 min

  2. 6D AGO

    What Learning Health Networks Are And How They Fix Healthcare Silos

    Send us Fan Mail Healthcare creates a paradox: we collect endless clinical data, publish important research, and still watch patients wait years for proven ideas to become routine care. We sit down with Donna Murray, PhD, to explain how Learning Health Networks (LHNs) are designed to fix that by connecting patients, families, clinicians, and researchers into a shared system that learns quickly and improves care faster. We walk through what an LHN is, why the Institute of Medicine’s vision of a learning health system matters, and how networks scale the concept across multiple organizations. Donna breaks down the core problem LHNs tackle: silos. Clinicians are on the ground delivering care, researchers are producing findings, and the bridge between them is often weak. The result is slow translation, uneven implementation, and missed opportunities to focus on the barriers patients and families say are most urgent. From there, we get practical. We talk about “data in once” and why returning insights back to providers in near real time changes clinical decision making. When outcomes can be aggregated across sites, the network can identify which interventions work best for specific subpopulations, learn from high-performing clinics, and spot patients who are not improving even when guidelines are followed. We also connect the dots to audiology and hearing care, where evidence-based practice has to compete with pseudoscience and rapid-fire health claims online. If you care about real-world evidence, quality improvement, faster adoption of best practices, and patient-centered healthcare innovation, this conversation will give you a clear framework and a hopeful path forward. Subscribe for more, share this with a clinician or researcher who cares about closing the gap, and leave a review. What’s one healthcare change you wish could spread in months instead of years? Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

    10 min

  3. MAR 24

    6 Practical Ways To Lower Hearing Aid Return Rates

    Send us Fan Mail Hearing aid returns aren’t just a number on a dashboard, they’re a clue about what your patients experienced from the first hello to the first follow-up. We talk through the real reasons people bring devices back and why “return for credit” (RFC) should push us toward better systems, not more self-blame. We break down six practical ways to reduce hearing aid returns in a hearing clinic or audiology private practice. That starts with access through appropriate financing options, because many patients simply don’t have the savings to say yes with confidence. From there, we dig into motivational interviewing and the exact kinds of open-ended questions that reveal what the patient and their spouse actually want, how socially active they are today, and whether they’re truly ready to commit to hearing technology. Next, we zoom in on onboarding and follow-up scheduling, the patient experience that turns a transaction into a program. We also explain how best practices like real ear measurement, speech-in-noise testing, and tools such as the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) support better outcomes and fewer surprises. Finally, we cover setting realistic expectations, renaming the “trial period” into an “adjustment period,” and recommending the appropriate level of hearing aid technology based on test results, lifestyle, and communication goals. If you want fewer returns, happier patients, and more word-of-mouth referrals, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more hearing care providers can build clinics that patients trust. Visit our website and take our quick online hearing screener.  And if you're ready to take the next step, our online hearing care provider locator can help you find a trusted hearing care professional near you. Taking that first step can make a meaningful difference, helping you stay connecting to the people and moments that matter most.  Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

    29 min

  4. MAR 19

    How Learning Health Networks Improve Access, Insight, and Patient Success

    Send us Fan Mail The fastest way to improve healthcare is to stop treating clinics like isolated islands. I’m joined by Donna Murray, PhD, speech-language pathologist and quality improvement leader, to unpack learning health networks and why they’re becoming a serious force in hearing healthcare, tinnitus care, and patient-centered outcomes. We get practical about what a learning health network actually is: a connected community of clinics and organizations where patients, families, clinicians, and researchers co-design what gets measured, collect real-world clinical data once, and then use it to improve decisions at the point of care. Donna explains how this shared data feedback loop helps break the silos that slow evidence-based practice, and why it can shorten the long lag between research findings and what happens in exam rooms. We also dig into the messy reality of variability and complexity in conditions like tinnitus and autism. One broad label can hide many subtypes, which is why “what works” can look inconsistent across patients and across locations. Donna makes the case for building a common language, standardizing assessment and severity tracking, and using network-scale cohorts to spot what works for whom, not just what works on average. If you care about clinical outcomes, quality improvement, real-world evidence, and a more collaborative culture of care, this conversation will give you a clear framework for what comes next. Subscribe to Hearing Matters, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with the one change you think would most improve tinnitus care. Visit our website and take our quick online hearing screener.  And if you're ready to take the next step, our online hearing care provider locator can help you find a trusted hearing care professional near you. Taking that first step can make a meaningful difference, helping you stay connecting to the people and moments that matter most.  Omega AI hearing aids don’t just keep up. They redefine what it means to be modern and discreet yet durable and comfortable for all-day wear. They’re waterproof, everyday-proof, and designed to go the distance of your day and then some. All while tailored to your unique hearing needs. Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

    49 min

  5. MAR 13

    Could An Audiology Clinic Fit Inside A Tiny House?

    Send us Fan Mail A sleepless night turned into a blueprint for change. After catching a segment on Tiny House Nation, we asked a simple question with a complicated answer: could a true audiology clinic fit inside a tiny house and travel safely, complete with a legitimate sound booth and patient-ready workflow? What followed was a pursuit of access, a debt-free crowdfunding effort built on trust, and a design sprint that tested faith, engineering, and grit. We open up about why Dr. Carla Smiley, audiologist, chose a tiny house over RVs, school buses, or trailers and how that choice raised the bar for acoustics, power management, and weight distribution. You’ll hear how she mapped airflow for a sealed booth, planned for vibration and road wear, and balanced patient comfort with strict clinical standards. When her first builder walked away, the project could have stalled. Instead, it forced better questions, a new builder in another state, and a commitment to quality that shaped every cut, cavity, and cable run. Along the way, we share the crowdfunding approach that kept the project debt-free: a focused list, a clear value story drawn from successful dental models, and an invitation for the community to invest in mobile hearing care. Without a deep peer network in audiology at the time, we sought lessons from adjacent mobile clinics and let purpose do the heavy lifting during quiet months. The payoff arrived the day the clinic rolled into view and the mood boards became cabinetry, the plans became latches, and the dream became a place where people can hear their lives more clearly. If you’re a clinician, founder, or maker weighing an idea no one’s tried yet, this story offers a practical path and a nudge to trust your why. Press play, subscribe for more conversations at the edge of care delivery, and leave a review with the bold problem you’re solving next. Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

    7 min

  6. MAR 10

    From Family Clinic Roots To A Global Voice For Hearing Health

    Send us Fan Mail A quiet decision to start a resource for local patients turned into a milestone worth pausing for: 250 episodes dedicated to the craft and heart of hearing healthcare. We look back at where it began—growing up in a family clinic, falling in love with music and audio engineering, and studying communication sciences—and how those threads wove into a platform that champions people, not just products. We share the moment that still anchors our work: a patient who had stopped going out to dinner because conversation was too hard, and the smile that returned after a careful fitting and follow-up. That story embodies our stance on what moves outcomes: best practices like video otoscopy, tympanometry, OAEs, speech-in-noise testing, and real ear measurement, paired with counseling that meets patients where they are. Along the way, what started as consumer education expanded as clinicians, researchers, and innovators joined in, turning interviews into a living record of how standards evolve and lives change. We spotlight three pillars that guide us now. First, supporting providers by amplifying the clinical routines that sharpen results and reduce trial-and-error. Second, educating consumers so they walk into appointments ready to ask for objective measures and personalized fitting. Third, building community through a thought leader coalition—voices like Dr. Gyl Kasewurm, Dr. Jasen Ruiz, and Madison Levine, BC-HIS—who bring fresh perspective to verification, counseling, and the link between hearing and brain health. We also explore where the field is headed: AI that enhances, not replaces, clinicians; remote care that extends reach; and OTC devices that expand access when paired with clear guidance. If you care about hearing technology, patient outcomes, and the human connection that ties them together, you’re in the right place. Share this milestone with a colleague, send it to a friend who’s on the fence about a hearing test, and help us keep raising the standard of care. Subscribe, leave a review to tell us what you want next, and pass it on to someone who needs to hear life’s story again. Read the full AudiologyOnline interview here about how AI won't replace the hearing care professional, it will enhance them!  Visit our website and take our quick online hearing screener.  And if you're ready to take the next step, our online hearing care provider locator can help you find a trusted hearing care professional near you. Taking that first step can make a meaningful difference, helping you stay connecting to the people and moments that matter most.  Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

    29 min

  7. MAR 3

    Hearing Care for All Children - World Hearing Day 2026

    Send us Fan Mail A child who misses a quarter of classroom words isn’t daydreaming—they’re falling through a gap we can close. We dive into World Hearing Day with a focus on kids, where hearing care intersects with brain development, language growth, and classroom success. From missed fricatives to fragile confidence, we trace how small losses cascade into academic and social struggles, and why bringing services to schools and community hubs changes everything. We unpack two imperatives that drive real progress. First, prevent what’s preventable: treat middle ear infections quickly, teach safe listening before earbuds become a habit, watch for ototoxic risks, and stop pushing wax deeper. Second, identify early when prevention falls short. Timely school screenings, tight referral pathways, and affordable evaluations protect the brain’s language window and keep kids from being mislabeled as distracted or defiant when they’re actually fighting to hear. Screening without follow-up is just noise; systems turn awareness into outcomes. You’ll hear practical steps for families to normalize annual hearing tests, not just basic school screens, and for educators to advocate for consistent district protocols and follow up on every referral. For clinicians, manufacturers, and policymakers, we outline how community partnerships, school-based initiatives, and scalable access solutions expand reach and reduce inequity. Throughout, we return to a core truth: we don’t hear with our ears; we hear with our brain. When hearing care reaches communities and classrooms, it fuels literacy, confidence, and a sense of belonging. If this message resonates, help us carry it forward. Subscribe, share with a parent or educator, and leave a review with one action your community can take this month. Let’s make hearing care for all children more than a theme—let’s make it standard. Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

    16 min

  8. FEB 27

    BLUEMOTH Hearing, Explained

    Send us Fan Mail What if hearing care felt as welcoming as shopping for your favorite frames—personal, stylish, and on your terms—without losing the steady hand of a clinician? We dive into the origin and design of BLUEMOTH'S hybrid model that merges direct-to-consumer convenience with prescription-grade audiology, built to reduce stigma while preserving quality. We revisit the turning point of 2017, when OTC legislation surfaced and many clinicians feared erosion of standards. Our perspective flips the narrative: the real competitor isn’t other providers, it’s the vast number of untreated people avoiding help. Drawing inspiration from brands like Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, we explore how identity and choice can transform hearing devices from symbols of loss into tools of self-expression. That mindset, combined with a boutique standard of care, shapes a pathway that starts privately online and progresses through a guided home trial—always with a hearing care professional in the loop. Step by step, Dr. Melanie Hecker (founder and audiologist) unpacks the customer journey: a discreet virtual consult to lower intimidation, clinical recommendations for prescription devices, and support that mirrors best-in-class brick-and-mortar practices. We compare price versus stigma, discuss why denial still blocks action even when costs drop, and show how thoughtful e-commerce design can open doors without compromising outcomes. If you’re a clinician curious about scalable, patient-centered workflows—or a listener ready to explore better hearing without the waiting room—this story offers a clear, human roadmap. If this conversation challenged how you think about hearing care, share it with a friend, subscribe for future episodes, and leave a quick review to help more people find us. Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

    10 min
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4.4
out of 5
20 Ratings

About

Welcome to the #1 Hearing Aid & Hearing Health Podcast with Blaise M. Delfino, M.S. - HIS! We combine education, entertainment, and all things hearing aid-related in one ear-pleasing package!In each episode, we'll unravel the mysteries of the auditory system, decode the latest advancements in hearing technology, and explore the unique challenges faced by individuals with hearing loss. But don't worry, we promise our discussions won't go in one ear and out the other!From heartwarming personal stories to mind-blowing research breakthroughs, the Hearing Matters Podcast is your go-to destination for all things related to hearing health. Get ready to laugh, learn, and join a vibrant community that believes that hearing matters - because it truly does!

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