Press Release

NationsHearing’s Interventions Can Decrease Costs Associated with Falling Risk as Confirmed by the Validation Institute

NationsHearing, LLC., a leader in the hearing healthcare industry, announced today that its interventions program has been awarded a Certificate of Validation by the Validation Institute. The validation verifies that NationsHearing’s treatment program can reduce the rate of falling in a senior population and thus, decrease costs for fall-related hospitalizations.

NationsHearing developed a calculator based upon peer-reviewed research and national data on hearing loss prevalence. Then, comparing the frequency of falls among people with untreated hearing loss to those whose hearing loss is treated, the calculator estimates savings.

Glenn M. Parker, M.D., Founder and CEO of NationsHearing, said, “We are the first company in the hearing industry to use products, services, technology, and interventions to improve member health outcomes. Traditionally, the hearing industry has been a commodity-driven industry where the model was heavily focused on selling a product for high prices and not focused on overall healthcare improvement. We have been innovative in examining the comorbidities of hearing loss, such as falling, cognitive impairment and depression, medication adherence, and others, and using our interventions to lessen the impacts of these illnesses. In addition to being the first hearing company to do this, we built this model to be fully scalable, which will be extremely beneficial for health plans and other partners of all sizes, as well as the members we serve nationally.”

The Validation Institute is recognized as one of the top entities in the healthcare field for validating the effectiveness, including return on investment, of care management programs. The validation is based on data NationsHearing submitted to the Institute that was analyzed by objective experts in population health and statistics. With NationsHearing's validation, NationsHearing now becomes part of the Validation Institute’s national “Trusted Community” of organizations.

“NationsHearing had solid research about the impact of hearing loss on falls, and now has a validated calculator to show the savings that can be achieved with an active screening and treatment program. They are a great example of innovative value for value-based care purchasers,” Linda Riddell, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Validation Institute, commented.

“Simply providing basic commodity hearing aid services is not in line with the movement toward value-based healthcare, reducing overall costs related to healthcare, or improving members’ outcomes and quality of life,” said Dr. Parker. There are many factors to consider in providing hearing interventions besides providing hearing aids. These include but are not limited to: Ensuring members are correctly using their hearing aids, education of comorbidities, surveying, outreach, analytics, gamification, tele-audiology, and more.

About NationsBenefits, LLC.

NationsBenefits® is a leading supplemental benefits company that partners with managed care organizations to provide innovative healthcare solutions aimed at driving growth, improving outcomes, reducing costs, and delighting members. We surpass traditional benefit designs by taking a consultative approach to understanding each valued client’s objectives, and we offer customized programs that can be targeted or scaled to effectively engage members who have diverse needs. With our compliance-focused infrastructure, technology, care continuum and best-in-class service delivery model, health plans can depend on our company to maximize the value-based care delivered to millions of people who deserve a better quality of life. To learn more, visit NationsBenefits.com.

About the Validation Institute

The Validation Institute’s helps organizations involved in population health – from Health Plans to Employers to Vendors – apply the highest standards of validity, allowing vendors to compete on their performance rather than hyperbole. The Validation Institute’s team of population health scientists and biostatisticians independently reviews applications, in a peer review style. Visit https://www.validationinstitute.com/ to learn more.