• Who we are– As a company– As individuals

• How long we’ve been in business• What our focus is• What do we mean to the Community• How we go about treating our patients• Hearing statistics

Meet Treasure Valley Hearing & Balance

• 1990 --Treasure Valley Hearing was founded (Boise)– Licensed by FDA to manufacture own brand of hearing aids

• 1994 -- Expanded and added a second clinic located in Nampa• 2003 -- Received the Integrity Counts Award from BBB• 2005 -- Became one of only 112 clinics nationwide to receive Audigy

Certification *• 2007 -- Expanded and added a third clinic located in Eagle, Idaho

*– Audigy-certification is given to those practices exemplifying an elite standard of service and

care in the hearing healthcare field. – Receive more full-featured benefits, recognizing that VALUE means more just price alone.

Our Provider Team• Jacquie Elcox, BC-HIS Board Certified, Hearing Instrument Sciences

– Licensed & certified for over 20 years– Has successfully helped thousands to hear better– Emphasizes a gentle, caring environment– Will ensure your hearing solution fits your lifestyle

• Mel Miller, Ph.D., CCC-A Doctor of Audiology

– Accepts patients for diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss– Specializes in tinnitus and pediatric audiology– Has practiced audiology for over 30 years– Has been on the faculty of three universities and has owned private practices in

Oklahoma City and Dallas.

• Curt Whitcomb, Au.D, CCC-A, FAAA Consultant, Doctor of Audiology

– Over 21 years experience– Consultant to area Physicians and Hospitals providing expert advice and

audiological services– Developed first and only newborn screening program at St. Luke’s and NICU, testing

high-risk infants with Auditory Brainstem Response.

 

What do we mean to the communities in which we serve?

• Comprehensive hearing care– Diagnosis and treatment of hearing issues.– Offer only tinnitus treatment in our community. Closest other tinnitus

treatment is Seattle.– Offer pediatrics treatments.– We will ensure our patients receive solutions served with integrity.

• 75 days of hearing retraining is offered to ensure all patients adjust properly to their new hearing devices. If not satisfied , they will receive their money back (up to 75 days)!

• We received the Integrity Counts award from the Better Business Bureau and we’ve been in business for 20 years.– Both of these are indicators of solid business practices.

Treasure Valley Hearing & Balance

A new kind of hearing center Most technologically-advanced products

Well-trained professionals

Best testing equipment

Our solutions are about OUR PATIENTS! Applying pillars of quality on top of what each patient’s life is about creates a more

CUSTOM-FITTED SOLUTION, specific to each patient.

Gaining an understanding of each individual’s lifestyle, job environment, recreational demands, day-to –day demands…..

Audigy-certified hearing centers….

• possess the highest credentials• are among the country’s most experienced practitioners of

hearing & diagnostic services• are committed to the relentless pursuit of

– Unsurpassed patient satisfaction– Excellence through continued education– Effective analysis and diagnosis of hearing conditions

– Solutions that integrate speech and comprehension back into patients’ lives

• understand that “value” is measured in more than just price alone.

Some Hearing Statistics• 1 in 6 Americans have some sort of hearing loss

– 1/3 of these are less than 45 years of age– 1/3 of these have been affected, at least in part, by noise

• Successful treatment of hearing loss is associated with higher earning power• Approximately 14.9% of children in the U.S. have hearing loss serious enough to

interfere with daily communication.• It is recommended that at age 45 everyone should have a baseline hearing test as

part of a complete annual health exam.• The estimated cost in lost earnings due to untreated hearing loss is $122 billion

annually. – At a 15% tax bracket, the cost to businesses could be in excess of $18 billion due to

unrealized returns to the company.

• The Friends & Family Better Hearing Plan was developed to provide affordable access to hearing services. Use of this program ensures that you and those you care about are receiving the best services for prevention and treatment of hearing loss.

More Than Just an Inconvenience

Psychological Consequences of Hearing Difficulty

Physical Consequences of Hearing Difficulty

• “Bess ”: Individuals with hearing loss exhibited a significant higher degree of health related difficulties such as hypertension

• “Dye and Peak”: After 6 weeks of hearing aid utilization, people showed improvements in several areas of psychological function such as depression and isolation

• “Mulrow”: significant increase in social, cognitive, emotional and depression measures within 4 weeks of hearing aid utilization.

• Studies show a direct relationship between hearing loss & dementia

•

More Personal… and Much More Complicated

Relationship Consequences of Hearing Difficulty

• Isolation and withdrawal• Inattentiveness• Reduced participation in social activities• Difficulty working as part of a team• Loss of intimacy• Decreasing interest in work• Reduced Income• Growing irritability with others• Problems sharing complex ideas• Gaps in communication