Protecting Your Hearing Aid Investment with Applied360 Thrive

Investing in hearing aids represents a significant commitment to improving your quality of life, but the initial fitting is just the beginning of your hearing journey. Many hearing aid users discover that their devices don't maintain the same level of performance over time, often experiencing a gradual decline that goes unnoticed until it becomes problematic. At Applied Hearing Solutions, we understand that protecting your hearing aid investment requires ongoing care and attention, which is why we developed our Applied360 Thrive program.

The Hidden Problem with Traditional Follow-Up Care

Most hearing healthcare providers follow a "wait and see" approach to long-term hearing care. Under this model, patients only return when they experience noticeable problems with their devices. While this might seem reasonable on the surface, it creates several issues that can compromise your hearing aid performance and ultimately cost you more money.

When hearing aid users experience a gradual decline in performance, the changes often happen so slowly that they adapt to the reduced effectiveness without realizing it. By the time the problem becomes apparent, the underlying issues may have compounded, requiring more extensive repairs or adjustments that could have been prevented with proactive care.

Consider what happens to any sophisticated electronic device over time. Components can shift, settings can drift from their optimal positions, and wear patterns develop. Hearing aids face additional challenges because they operate in the challenging environment of your ear canal, where moisture, earwax, and daily handling can affect their performance.

Understanding Applied360 Thrive: A Proactive Approach

Our Applied360 Thrive program represents a fundamental shift from reactive to proactive hearing care. Rather than waiting for problems to develop, we schedule regular appointments to monitor your hearing aid performance and address potential issues before they impact your daily life.

This comprehensive follow-up care plan serves two primary purposes: protecting your hearing aid investment through preventative maintenance and ensuring you continue to receive optimal benefit from your devices as your hearing and lifestyle needs evolve over time.

Applied360 Thrive also serves as an onboarding process for new patients at our clinic. During your first year with us, you'll learn what goes into best practice follow-up care and develop a clear understanding of how to maintain your hearing aids for long-term success.

Your First Year: Structured Support for Long-Term Success

The Applied360 Thrive program provides carefully scheduled appointments throughout your first year as our patient. Each appointment type serves a specific purpose in maintaining and optimizing your hearing aid performance.

Gold Appointments: Regular Performance Reviews

Every four months, you'll spend 30 minutes with your Doctor of Audiology during what we call Gold appointments. These sessions provide an opportunity to discuss any issues you may have experienced since your last visit, no matter how minor they might seem.

During Gold appointments, your audiologist will ask specific questions about your hearing experiences and take your hearing aids back to our laboratory for detailed evaluation and preventative maintenance. When they return, they'll review the condition of your devices before and after maintenance, explain what professional care was performed, and provide recommendations to ensure continued optimal performance.

Maintenance Visits: Quick Issue Resolution

Between your Gold appointments, we schedule 15-30 minute maintenance visits with our skilled Audiology Assistants. These appointments focus on device evaluation, preventative maintenance, and resolving any minor issues that may arise.

Our Audiology Assistants are trained to identify and resolve common hearing aid concerns independently. If they discover issues requiring additional expertise, they'll consult with your audiologist to ensure you receive appropriate care. This system ensures you can get help quickly without waiting for an opening with your primary audiologist.

Platinum Visits: Comprehensive Annual Reviews

At your 12-month mark, you'll have a 60-minute Platinum visit that includes comprehensive evaluation and optimization services. These appointments include an updated hearing evaluation, hearing aid maintenance, diagnostic testing, and hearing aid reprogramming with verification if necessary.

Platinum visits are particularly valuable because they identify gradual changes in your hearing that might affect your hearing aid programming needs. We often discover small issues during these appointments that would otherwise go undetected until they became more significant problems.

The Technology Behind Proactive Care

Modern hearing aids contain sophisticated electronic components that can drift from their optimal settings over time. Our diagnostic equipment allows us to measure the actual performance of your hearing aids against manufacturer specifications, identifying problems before they affect your daily hearing experience.

During maintenance appointments, we perform electroacoustic analysis to ensure your devices are functioning within normal parameters. This testing can reveal issues such as reduced output levels, frequency response changes, or component degradation that might not be immediately apparent to you as a user.

When we identify programming adjustments needed during your Platinum visits, we use Real Ear Measurement to verify that any changes we make are precisely matched to your current hearing needs. This scientific approach ensures that your hearing aids continue to provide optimal benefit as your hearing changes over time.

Preventing Costly Repairs and Replacements

One of the most significant benefits of Applied360 Thrive is its role in preventing expensive repairs and premature hearing aid replacements. Regular professional maintenance helps identify and address minor issues before they develop into major problems requiring costly manufacturer repairs.

For example, moisture damage that might go unnoticed for months could eventually require extensive internal component replacement. Through our regular maintenance schedule, we can detect early signs of moisture intrusion and address the issue before it causes permanent damage.

Similarly, gradual changes in your hearing that go unmonitored could lead to situations where you believe your hearing aids are no longer effective, when in reality they simply need programming adjustments to match your current needs.

Transitioning to Long-Term Care

After completing your first year in the Applied360 Thrive program, most patients have been properly onboarded to our clinic and understand the value of regular hearing care. At this point, 85% of our patients transition to our standard maintenance schedule, seeing us every six months for Gold and Platinum visits.

Some patients may benefit from continuing with the more intensive Applied360 Thrive schedule if they have rapidly changing hearing, complex hearing aid technology, or other factors that require more frequent monitoring.

The Investment Protection You Deserve

Your hearing aids represent a significant financial investment in your communication abilities and quality of life. Like any valuable investment, they require ongoing attention and care to maintain their value and performance.

Applied360 Thrive provides the comprehensive follow-up care needed to protect this investment while ensuring you continue to receive maximum benefit from your hearing technology. Rather than discovering problems after they've affected your daily life, our proactive approach keeps your hearing aids performing at their best.

Experience the Applied360 Thrive Difference

We've seen firsthand how proactive hearing care makes a difference in our patients' long-term success with hearing aids. Our hundreds of patient reviews and testimonials reflect the peace of mind that comes from knowing your hearing aids are being properly maintained and optimized over time.

Ready to protect your hearing aid investment with comprehensive follow-up care? Contact Applied Hearing Solutions today at (602) 877-0000 to learn more about how Applied360 Thrive can support your long-term hearing success. Our experienced team is here to ensure you get the most from your hearing technology for years to come.