CVS closes hearing centers as FDA prepares rules for the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids. CVS Health is closing its nearly 30 hearing centers. Next year, the FDA will introduce regulations to offer over-the-counter hearing aids. A hearing amplification device is a personal device that can help you if you have hearing difficulties.
Once finalized, the standard would allow hearing aids within this category to be sold directly to consumers in stores or online without a medical examination or adaptation by an audiologist. Its proven business model leverages the extremely low cost of products, near-zero marketing costs, and Costco's positive brand reputation to deliver the latest high-quality hearing devices at extremely low prices. Making hearing health care more accessible and affordable is a public health priority, especially given that the number of older adults in the U. If the sounds seem muffled, distant, or unclear, it may be time to upgrade your hearing aid to something new.
They suggested changing some regulations that studies said were barriers to adults getting the hearing aid they need. Leading experts in science, technology and hearing healthcare have been working with researchers, health professionals and consumers to find safe and effective ways to improve adult access to hearing health care. Hearing loss significantly affects the quality of life of tens of millions of adults in the United States and contributes to high health care costs. Untreated hearing loss can lead to isolation and has been associated with serious conditions such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, dementia, reduced mobility and falls.
They are not intended for children or adults with severe hearing loss or significant hearing difficulties. These highly trained professionals were attracted by the competition and hired to develop CVS hearing aid businesses from the ground up with the promise that it was a strategic entrepreneurship and a long-term position. According to multiple sources, including CVS employees and providers, the company plans to completely shut down operations of its hearing aid clinics in the United States by the end of March. The FDA is preparing to approve low-cost, over-the-counter hearing devices in the near future, and new technology is emerging to enable self-service hearing testing and care.
The company said the decision was driven by lower-cost devices that will enter the market in the near future that will allow self-service testing and hearing care. In October, the agency authorized Bose's first self-adjusting hearing aid that consumers can program without the help of a healthcare provider. Learn more about the research NIDCD supports to make hearing health care more accessible and affordable.
