HEARING HEALTHCARE CENTER, INC.                                       Clinical Audiologists serving Western Washington for over 35 years

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What are the most common types of hearing loss?

Conductive Hearing Loss
Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound is not conducted efficiently through the outer and middle ears, including the ear canal, eardrum, and the tiny bones, or ossicles, of the middle ear. Conductive hearing loss usually involves a reduction in sound level, or the ability to hear faint sounds. This type of hearing loss can often be corrected through medicine or surgery.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear (retrocochlear pathway of the acoustic nerve) to the brain.
Sensorineural hearing loss not only involves a reduction in sound level, or ability to hear faint sounds, but also affects speech understanding or ability to hear clearly.

What will a hearing aid do for me?

When you have a hearing loss, it sounds as if people are mumbling, particularly when you are facing away or if background noise is present. Modern digital hearing aids have sophisticated technology that let you hear these sounds again. They give you crisp, clear sound when you need it and are small, light and comfortable to wear.

Hearing aids can provide many benefits but there are also limitations. Hearing aids cannot give you back your normal hearing. Even with a hearing aid, you might find some situations where you still have difficulty hearing, particularly if you only wear one aid. Some hearing aids are more advanced than others and can be more effective in difficult listening environments. In order for you to get the most out of your hearing aids our audiologist will give you recommendations for hearing aids based on your hearing loss, budget, aesthetic and dexterity concerns, lifestyle and normal listening environments.

Does Hearing Healthcare Center accept insurance?

We accept most major insurances and participate in many preferred plans. You will need to check with your individual program. 

We also accept open Labor and Industries and HearPO claims.

We are disappointed that we can no longer accept new adults with DSHS, Molina, or Community Health Plan of WA in our Olympia offices.  Children with DSHS or Molina are welcome in our Olympia offices.  

Will I need a referral to get my hearing tested?

If your insurance requires a referral before seeing a specialist, then you will need to bring in a referral before being tested. Medicare and TriCare always require you to have a referral.

What does Medicare cover?

Medicare will cover the charges of your hearing evaluation if BOTH of the following requirements are met:

1. When your symptoms are acute/sudden and it is considered medically necessary to obtain a hearing test to determine further medical intervention.

2. When a written referral from your physician has been received by our office prior to the rendering of services. The written order must include the reason for the hearing test and state medical necessity.

Appropriate ways of obtaining a written referral for your hearing test:

1. Your doctor may provide you with a written prescription which you will need to bring with you to your hearing evaluation.

2. Your doctor may fax the referral to our office.

What payment methods are accepted?

We have a few options when it comes to payment:

If you pay in full with cash or check on the date of service, you will receive a 5% discount.

We accept Visa and Mastercard.

We accept CareCredit. To learn more about CareCredit, click here.

We also offer a three month no-interest payment plan through our office.