Soundly’s Hearing Aid Marketplace In Pole Position To Take Advantage Of New FDA Rules – Forbes
Soundly Hearing Aid Try On
Soundly
Currently, there are seismic shifts afoot in the U.S. hearing health market thanks to a long-awaited FDA ruling announced earlier this month.
The updated regulations will create a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids which consumers with mild to moderate hearing loss will be able to purchase directly from retailers without the need for an examination, a prescription and the oversight of an audiologis…….
Soundly Hearing Aid Try On
Soundly
Currently, there are seismic shifts afoot in the U.S. hearing health market thanks to a long-awaited FDA ruling announced earlier this month.
The updated regulations will create a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids which consumers with mild to moderate hearing loss will be able to purchase directly from retailers without the need for an examination, a prescription and the oversight of an audiologist.
The new system, several years in the making, carries with it the intention of spurring competition and innovation in the market whilst, at the same time, lowering costs for consumers.
The flip side of these otherwise welcome advancements is that consumers will now be confronted with even more choices and products within a healthcare space that was already somewhat confusing and complex to navigate.
Clarity for consumers
One company that is determined to help straighten the kinks in this too often tangled customer journey is Soundly – a brand new online marketplace that launched in May with the sole purpose of making the acquisition of hearing aids a faster, cheaper and more informed process.
In a market where reliable consumer product information is somewhat scattered and inaccessible, Soundly has made concerted efforts to curate, condense and integrate information on different devices within one simple-to-use hub.
In addition to purchasing hearing aids at highly competitive rates, customers can quickly compare pricing and features from major brands like Widex, Oticon and Signia, as well as read product reviews written by other users and hearing health professionals.
The browsing experience is more holistic still – with customers able to take an advanced online hearing test.
Crucially, Soundly, though ideally suited to the newly expanded over-the-counter environment, is certainly not attempting to sidestep the often vitally important oversight of audiologists.
For visitors in search of a professional examination, Soundly can link them up by location to over 5,000 audiologists working around the country – thereby ensuring that both ends of the care pathway are well covered.
The hearing aid marketplace is the brainchild of Soundly founder and CEO Blake Cadwell.
Cadwell has a family history of hearing loss and began to notice his own hearing issues worsening during the pandemic when people wearing face masks and the increase in online meetings brought home to him the extent to which he had been relying on lip reading to compensate.
He was inspired to start Soundly after witnessing first-hand the complexities of undertaking online research to help him identify what might be the most suitable device for him.
“I consider myself to be a …….
