Q: Why does Harmony Hearing bill my health insurance for a hearing evaluation while some places advertise free hearing tests?

A: There’s a big difference between an “audiological evaluation” and a “free hearing test”.  An audiological evaluation is typically performed by a Doctor of Audiology, and it is a thorough evaluation of the hearing system.  It often includes an otoscopic examination, pressure tests of the middle ear space, acoustic reflex measurements, testing of the outer hair cells of the inner ear, speech discrimination testing, word recognition testing, and determination of hearing thresholds.  Thorough hearing evaluations are typically billed to your health insurance.  In contrast, a “free hearing test” is usually very basic, and it’s performed with the intent to identify potential hearing aid users.   Free hearing tests are very common in retail hearing aid chains, as a mechanism to attract “customers”.

Answered by Dr. Matt Perry, Au.D. – audiologist and owner of Harmony Hearing & Audiology, located in Festival at Bel Air, 5 Bel Air S Pkwy, Ste. 1411, Bel Air, MD 21015 – (410)569-5999