I do have a request going forward regarding the use of the misidentifying phrase ‘hearing healthcare provider’ (HHCP). My request is for the HR editors and future authors to discontinue using it or any derivation thereof. Respectfully, here’s why:

The importance and usage of correct terminology cannot be over-emphasized. The HHCP phrase started appearing in the National Academy of Sciences’ (NAS) 2016 report related to over-the-counter hearing aids. The NAS report reads, in part, “For the purposes of this report the term “hearing health care professionals” is used broadly to encompass those who work in hearing healthcare (including audiologists, hearing instrument specialists, and otolaryngologists). The term is used throughout the report primarily for ease – that is, one collective term, rather than listing each group repeatedly throughout the report”.

Identification and recognition of separate occupations, i.e., hearing aid dispensers (HADs) and professions, i.e., physicians and audiologists, are essential for consumer understanding and transparency. Neither expediency nor convenience should be accepted as a rationale to blur the lines between them. Referring to these groups in a generic “one size fits all” manner and as a collective of HHCPs will serve only to confuse and ultimately mislead consumers. Out of respect, their separate and very different identities should not be eliminated.

Also, continued use and reference to HHCP is to imply that HADs also begin to screen and test for cognitive impairment. Statutorily, this is not a viable option. HAD’s licensing laws authorize them to ‘test for the purpose of fitting hearing aids’. Any type of ‘screening’ mentioned in their licensing statutes is commonly referenced to ‘hearing screening’ as a HAD might provide at state fairs. Promoting and encouraging HADs to go beyond their ‘duties and responsibilities’ as outlined in their licensing laws is to promote HADs to practice audiology and/or medicine without a license. Similarly, HADs are not allowed to evaluate and treat for tinnitus, auditory processing disorders, vestibular disorders, etc.