Hearing Matters Podcast: Hearing Aids, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus

Reducing Hearing Aid Returns in 2026

• Hearing Matters

Share episode

Send us a text

The fastest tech in the world can’t outpace human change, and that tension shows up as hearing aid returns. Blaise digs into a process-first approach that keeps patients engaged, supported, and satisfied without chasing the latest hardware. Drawing on years of private practice experience, he unpacks why returns are usually about expectations and support, and how small, deliberate shifts in language, follow-up, and outcome tracking can dramatically reduce churn.

We start by reframing returns as feedback from the process. Patients arrive with Amazon-speed expectations, OTC noise shaping beliefs, and limited tolerance for friction. Instead of pushing harder, we slow down to set realistic optimism: hearing aids begin the change and the brain finishes it. You’ll hear practical ways to normalize early challenges: own-voice changes, loud backgrounds, listening fatigue - so patients see them as milestones, not red flags.

From there, we lay out a simple, repeatable system. Front load support with a 24-hour check-in, thoughtful texts, and one- and two-week follow-ups that signal presence without crowding schedules. Anchor goals to what matters most (family conversations, work meetings, faith services) and include the primary communication partner to build resilience at home. In follow-ups, treat every adjustment as information. Use data logging to guide open questions, not lectures, and bring in validated tools like the abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit (APHAB) to make progress visible. Small wins compound when they’re measured together.

By the end, you’ll have a clear playbook: shift from device language to process language, normalize early experiences, align on meaningful outcomes, and document a consistent journey from first call to six-month care. Technology fits ears, but communication fits lives. If this resonated, subscribe, share with a colleague who needs a lift, and leave a quick review so more hearing pros can find the show. What one change will you try this week?

Omega AI hearing aids don’t just keep up. They redefine what it means to be modern and discreet yet durable and comfortable for all-day wear.

They’re waterproof, everyday-proof, and designed to go the distance of your day and then some. All while tailored to your unique hearing needs.

Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com

Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast

Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

Blaise M. Delfino, M.S. - HIS :

You're tuned in to the Hearing Matters Podcast, the show that discusses hearing technology, best practices, and a global epidemic. Hearing loss. Before we kick this episode off, a special thank you to our partners. Care Credit, here today to help more people here tomorrow. Fader Plugs, the world's first custom adjustable earplug. Welcome back to another episode of the Hearing Matters Podcast. I'm founder and host, Blaise Delfino, and as a friendly reminder, this podcast is separate from my work at Starkey. Welcome back to the Hearing Matters Podcast. I'm Blaise Delfino, founder and host, and today's episode is a solo one. This is specifically for hearing care professionals, practice owners, and anyone working directly with patients using hearing technology. I want to talk about reducing hearing aid returns in 2026. Not from a sales angle, not from a pressure-filled, you know, do more mindset, and definitely not from a place of blame. This is a conversation about patient care, clinical best practices, and what actually works in the real world. I've spent years as a private practice owner. I've personally fit hearing aids and continue to deliver patient care when I have time on the weekends. I've had hard conversations, not only with patients, but with staff. And I've seen patients succeed and I've seen patients struggle. And what became very clear to me over time is this hearing aid returns are rarely about the device. They are, you know, almost always about expectations, communication, and support from us hearing care professionals. So my goal today is simple. I want you to walk away feeling grounded, encouraged, and really equipped, not discouraged, not overwhelmed, and not behind. So why does this matter in 2026? And before we dive in, I want to wish everyone a happy new year. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. It's so nice to be back behind the mic after a well-deserved break, spending time with family and friends. So I've really been thinking about this for the past couple of weeks. What do hearing care professionals need most today? And I just kept coming back to reducing hearing aid returns in 2026. So why does this matter? Well, let's zoom out for a minute. Hearing healthcare in 2026 looks very, very different than it did even a few years ago. I think we can all agree. I mean, patients are more informed, but not always better informed. Uh OTC devices exist and shape expectations. And consumer technology promises speed, simplicity, and instant results. It's sort of that Amazon model, right? At the same time, practices today are navigating tighter margins, staffing challenges, and limited time. And as a former private practice owner, I've lived it, I've experienced it, so I know exactly what you're going through. So when a hearing aid gets returned, it can feel personal, right? It can often feel like a failure. But in my opinion, returns are better understood as feedback. They're signals that something in the process maybe just didn't align with the patient's experience. And I'm here to say that the good news is processes are adjustable. So here is the principle today that we're going to talk about that's going to really anchor this entire episode. Reducing hearing aid returns is less about changing technology and more about strengthening process. I want to repeat that. I know you can play it back, but let me just repeat that. Reducing hearing aid returns is less about changing technology and more about strengthening process. Now that's the good news because conversations and case presentation can be refined, expectations can be clarified, and support can be layered without rebuilding your entire practice. And before we get into strategies, I want to ground this conversation in reality for a moment. In the United States, there isn't a single centralized statistic that tells us exactly what percentage of hearing aids were returned in 2025. Returns aren't uniformly tracked across manufacturers, clinics, and retail channels, and definitions of quote return do vary widely. Now, that said, based on multiple industry reports and manufacture level data, clinic prescribed hearing aids, so prescription hearing aids in the US are generally estimated to have return rates in the range of roughly six to ten percent. Now, that number can be lower in some practices, it can be higher in others, depending on patient selection, counseling, and follow-up processes. But by contrast, over-the-counter hearing devices actually tend to see meaningfully higher return rates, often into the double digits. And this is largely due to the absence of professional fitting, expectation setting, and that ongoing support that we as hearing care professionals do provide. So when we talk about reducing returns, this is absolutely not about chasing perfection or pretending returns should be goose egg, zero. It's really about understanding that returns are a real, measurable part of hearing healthcare, and that many of the factors influencing them are within our control as clinicians. So you might be thinking, Blaze, haven't we talked about hearing aid returns forever? And the short answer is yes. Yes. You know, we as clinicians have been aware of returns for years, but what is different in 2026 is the context, shifting patient expectations shaped by consumer technology, presence of OTC, new support tools, and really evolving clinical processes. So today's conversation isn't rerunning old advice. It's the let's say it's the updated playbook for where our profession is right now. So why do hearing aids get returned? Let's start with number one, and that really is the expectation mismatch. One of the most consistent findings in hearing healthcare research is that expectations strongly influence satisfaction. When expectations exceed reality, especially early on, frustration will follow. In today's hearing healthcare landscape, patients often expect immediate, quote, normal hearing, right? Effortless listening and noise, and little to no learning curve. Again, it's sort of that Amazon model where working with patients who are so used to just clicking add to card or buy now and it's at their doorstep. Now, that said, that doesn't mean that patients are unrealistic. It just means that they live in a world where technology often does work instantly. And as hearing care professionals, our role is not to remove hope, but it's to shape realistic optimism. Let's go to bullet point number two. The brain needs time. We've talked about this time and time again, about the connection between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline, but I believe that we can do a better job and continue the conversation about talking about brain acclimization. So the brain needs time to acclimate to its new hearing world. We know from neuroscience and clinical research that the brain begins adapting early, but it continues to adapt over the weeks and months when a patient is first fit with their technology. So early on, patients will notice their own voice sounds different, background sounds feel intrusive, listening fatigue increases, and these experiences are normal. We as hearing care professionals know that these experiences are normal, but they're only normal if patients are told they're normal. Time for reflection here. Where in your case presentation are you perhaps not educating as much as you could be as it relates to the brain acclimating to the patient's new hearing world? I want to pause there for a second and just allow you for some thoughtful consideration. Where in your case presentation are you perhaps not educating as you could be as it relates to the brain acclimating to the patient's new hearing world? The third bullet point is really emotional and identity factors. I really enjoy behavioral science and psychology. And during my psychology course in college, we talked about Eric Erickson's psychosocial stages. And we are meeting our patients at the intimacy versus isolation stage, which is forming deep, committed relationships, you know, learning to love, things of that nature. And then as humans, we go into that generativity versus stagnation stage, which, you know, as humans, we'll ask ourselves are we contributing to society and future generations, leading to care? And then last but not least, integrity versus despair, which is 65 plus years and older, reflecting on life with a sense of fulfillment. So I do believe that as hearing care professionals, we can put that behavioral science psychology cap on when we are talking about the emotional and identity factors when working with patients, because hearing loss is not just sensory. It affects confidence, it affects relationships, it affects identity. When those emotional factors aren't acknowledged, the device becomes the focus of frustration. This isn't soft science, but this is patient-centered care. We'll hear our colleagues and clinicians talk about the first two weeks being that critical window. I want to be very precise here. There is no single study that says hearing aid returns spike exactly at day number 14. But here is what the evidence and clinical consensus support. So first and foremost, neural adaptation begins early. So we know that. Early experiences shape those long-term beliefs. Many clinicians intentionally schedule early follow-ups for a reason. And we did this when I was practicing full-time. You want to ensure that you have that one-week follow-up, two-week follow-up. You're staying in contact with your patient, not annoying them or being intrusive, but supportive. And patients often begin forming decisions early, even if they act later. Think of that as that buyer remorse, right? We are navigating not only a patient's hearing loss, where they are at in terms of their psychosocial development, but also then buyer's remorse. So rather than thinking about the first 14 days of a patient wearing their hearing technology as a deadline, I really like to think of them as a foundation period. So when you build a home, we want to build that foundation on that rock. It's when patients decide, you know, consciously or not, whether this feels like a supported process or a stressful one. Are your patients feeling supported by you and your staff, or are they feeling a little stressed out and pushed into a corner to make that decision to keep their hearing aids? I've been pondering about the best practices that we implemented at the practice to reduce returns. And sure, best practices are real-air measurement, hearing aid test box. I don't have to go through all of them. I want to talk about these specific best practices to reduce hearing aid returns in 2026 because I don't believe that it's just about reducing hearing aid returns. These are patients that need our help as hearing care professionals. And we know the comorbidities linked to untreated hearing loss. And while the tech continues to advance, I personally want to ensure to share my stories that not only does the technology advance, but our skill set also advances and becomes stronger year after year as we grow into this profession together. So, first and foremost, what helped us tremendously was shifting from device language to process language. Small language shifts matter. Instead of these hearing aids will fix your hearing, which I am sure 99% of you listening right now are not saying. Try this. This is a process we'll work through together. Which one sounds more collaborative, right? That that second one. This is a process we'll work through together. That single change moves from evaluation mode to participation mode. As humans, we want to be a part of something, right? Are they a part of your hearing family, a part of your practice, a part of your program? Remember, as their hearing care professional, you are their accountability buddy. This is uncharted waters for our patients. And when they feel heard and supported, patient satisfaction will have positively influenced. The second best practice that I want to touch upon is normalize early challenges before they even happen. So evidence-based counseling does show that anticipatory guidance does reduce stress. During my time in private practice, I would say this before patients experience it. Mrs. Smith, Mr. Smith, you might notice things that sound odd or annoying at first. That does not mean something is wrong. It just means that your brain is learning because you've gone quite some time not hearing some of your environmental sounds with increased clarity. Just be patient with yourself. Jot down your experiences in the journal that we're sending you home with. I am a firm believer that recognition prevents rejection. Now, that last sentence there about sending the patient home with a hearing journal. Yes, we did that. And the reason we did that is because we wanted all of our patients to be reflective. Now, I'd be lying if I said every patient did the journal. Not every patient participated with the journal, but I will tell you, I had less than 10 hearing aid returns in five years. I'm not sharing that to brag, boast, or to impress you. Rather, impress upon you that this is the system that we followed to a T and it seemed to help. Caring first, you cannot commoditize caring. And it gives the patient time to reflect and sit down and really evaluate their new hearing world rather than us just putting these devices on their ears and saying, all right, good luck, go have at it. The third best practice is front load support. Now, support doesn't always mean more appointments. We don't just want to say, I'm gonna see you every week for the next six months. Well, that patient has a life too. They might not be comfortable doing that. So what does front load support even look like? Well, first and foremost, a brief check-in call. This can be 24 hours after the patient's fit. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, how are you doing? What did you notice in your environment at home? Maybe a sound you haven't heard in quite some time. And make sure you reframe it that it's not an appointment. And we would oftentimes have our front office staff call, but if I had time, which I would make the time during lunch of those check-in calls, as their provider, I wanted to be the voice that they heard. It can even be a short message. You know, the CRM system we used provided us with text message capabilities. We could literally text message our patient and check in and see how they were doing. And it can even be in the form of a simple question. Mr. Smith, what surprised you so far? Notice how we're not asking. So do you like them? Those closed-ended questions, they have a time and a place. But in my experience, fitting patients with hearing technology, those closed-ended questions don't tell you, the hearing care professional, the entire story. And they don't provide the patient enough of a platform to really paint the whole picture. Small touch points really do communicate presence. And when you're fitting a patient with hearing technology, presence absolutely matters. The fourth best practice that I want to touch on is anchoring hearing to meaningful outcomes. Patients really do persist when hearing is tied to what matters. So, as hearing care professionals, we can ask questions like where does hearing matter most in your day? Who do you most want to hear better for? This is absolutely not emotional manipulation. It's alignment. This allows us to anchor the patient into their why of why they're moving forward with hearing technology. Yes, we know the technology has incredible evidence-based benefits, but if we bore our patients with minutiae and forego anchoring their why and anchoring their hearing to meaningful outcomes, we might be doing them an injustice. But we should also anchor hearing to meaningful outcomes, not only for the patient, but their spouse or third party as well. Because let's be real here, hearing loss isn't just a singular affect that it has on a person. It affects the entire family. We actually just recently released an article on this. It affects the whole family. So when you're conducting your motivational interview in the beginning of the appointment, anchor hearing to those meaningful outcomes. Mr. Smith, you as the patient, what would you like to accomplish? Now, Mrs. Smith, what would you like to accomplish as his most prominent communication partner? The fifth best practice I want to review is reframe adjustments as progress. Now, every single adjustment is information. Numbers tell us a story. And while we're on the topic of numbers, I would strongly, strongly, strongly encourage hearing care professionals to review the data logging during patient follow-ups. Again, don't bore them with all the data. You don't need to show them how smart you are, but just use the data you're seeing as a guide to ask the correct open-ended questions. That could sound like, Mr. Smith, I see that you're wearing your hearing aids for an average of four hours per day. You know, what do you believe is prompting that? Do you believe that by your next follow-up appointment, we could get that number to six hours per day? So if you see what I did there, you're acting as an accountability buddy and a partner. You're not shaming or blaming them for only wearing their hearing aids for four hours per day. As humans, we like accountability. We like to feel a part of that community, a part of that movement. You are the patient's movement. Your practice is the patient's movement. So lean into that. Every follow-up is data. Every follow-up is data, it's not failure. I would always use the abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit with my patients. So the AFAB allows you, the hearing care professional and the patient, to review their progress pre and post-fitting. And what's awesome is that the post-fitting data most always shows the benefit that the technology provides. Personally, I use the PC version, so then I could project that to the big screen in the technology suite. And patients always love that visual feedback. They love to see where I was to where I am today. And if you go to the gym or if you're wanting to cut back on a behavior, tracking those daily life KPIs, when you see improvement, that just makes you want to do more and continue on that path of consistency. So highly recommend implementing the abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit. When patients are seeing fine-tuning as part of success, returns naturally decline. In my own practice, we didn't reduce returns by chasing the newest technology. Of course, it is so important and imperative that as hearing care professionals, we're trained on the latest tech and the newest tech, but we focused on conversations. We slowed down expectation setting. We normalized adaptation, that brain acclimization that we talked about earlier, and we checked in early. We treated hearing care as a partnership. Now that didn't make us perfect, but what it did is it made us consistent because we had a proven process. And what we would do is the process from that first phone call with a new patient to the counseling period to setting up that six-month clean and check, that was all documented. So we had a system that was proven. And when I tell you, we reviewed that system and that process as a team. And if something just wasn't working, we would manage it and we would shift things up a bit. And what we found was success. But that success was reduced return rate. When I tell you we had less than 10 hearing aid returns in five years, I'm not sharing that to brag, as I said earlier, but we refined our systems and patient care. Again, it just made us consistent. Now, if you're listening and you're thinking, we're not doing all of this, Blaze, that's okay. That's why I love the Hearing Matters podcast so much, is because I get to share my experience and my insight to help you know and grow your business. You do not need to change everything. If you just take one idea from this episode, whether it be one shift in language, one earlier check-in, or one reframed expectation as it relates to patient expectations, that is absolutely meaningful progress. Take it from me, reducing returns, it's not about pressure. It's truly about alignment internally with your team, externally with your patients. And when that care aligns with patient experience, outcomes are going to naturally follow. Technology fits ears, but communication fits lives. So, on behalf of the profession, thank you for the work that you do. Thank you for caring for your patience. And again, thank you for listening. You're tuned into the Hearing Matters podcast. I'm your host, Blaze Delfino. And until next time, hear life's story.

Head Shot

Blaise M. Delfino, M.S. - HIS

Host