{"id":7678,"date":"2023-08-02T18:18:19","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T18:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/leadership\/bluemoths-dr-melanie-hecker-talks-flipping-the-script-on-hearing-health-prescription-hearing-aids-in-interview\/"},"modified":"2023-08-02T18:18:20","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T18:18:20","slug":"bluemoths-dr-melanie-hecker-talks-flipping-the-script-on-hearing-health-prescription-hearing-aids-in-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=7678","title":{"rendered":"Bluemoth\u2019s Dr. Melanie Hecker Talks \u2018Flipping The Script\u2019 On Hearing Health, Prescription Hearing Aids In Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Back in late January, I covered hearing aid startup Orka. Take one look at the hero image and it\u2019s not hard to see the company\u2019s device looks a lot<\/em> like AirPods\u2014and that\u2019s all by design. Orka co-founder and chief executive Ben Sun told me in an interview at the time one of his company\u2019s primary goals was to make hearing aids as cool as AirPods; to make hearing aids something a person would want<\/em> to wear for coolness sake rather than begrudgingly so for medical reasons. Indeed, as technological progress has marched ever forward, hearing aids have slowly but steadily become more computer-like than ever before. Not only can they address a person\u2019s audiological needs, they also can do other things like stream music, podcasts, and much more. Like AirPods, medical grade hearing aids can be bonafide computers for your ears.<\/p>\n

It turns out, Sun isn\u2019t the only ones who thinks hearing aids can be cool.<\/p>\n

In a press release published on Wednesday, Seattle-based hearing health startup Bluemoth announced what it described as \u201ca virtual destination that gives users the freedom to discover and shop for premium hearing technology, all from the convenience of home.\u201d The company reiterated its steadfast commitment to making hearing wellness \u201cradically personal\u201d by giving prospective consumers access to what it calls expertly curated and cutting-edge prescription hearing technology.<\/p>\n

Bluemoth\u2019s model works by asking customers to upload their prescription on the company\u2019s website; after being reviewed by an audiologist, shoppers receive three hearing aids with their exact prescription for a home trial period. After the 45-day trial ends, people return to the Bluemoth website to purchase the set they like best.<\/p>\n

For Dr. Melanie Hecker, an audiologist and Bluemoth\u2019s founder and chief executive officer, her company\u2019s work is reflective of how hearing aids have increasingly gone from sterile medical device to cool status symbol. In a recent interview with me over videoconference, Dr. Hecker explained there has been a \u201cmassive transition\u201d in how capable hearing health technology is and, by extension, how cool hearing aids can be. Bluemoth, she told me, was created in part to help address some of the challenges and problems with hearing health and \u201chow to flip the script for consumers.\u201d According to Dr. Hecker, the biggest problem with devices like conventional hearing aids, and hearing health in general, is the stigmas associated with any semblance of hearing loss. Hearing aids, she said, are \u201cbeige and boring\u201d and the process for getting fitted for one isn\u2019t exactly pleasant. Likewise, she said hearing loss oftentimes is associated with getting older and obviously not a desirable trait. Having a disability herself\u2014she has what she called a \u201csevere\u201d visual impairment\u2014Dr. Hecker is particularly sensitive and empathetic to these feelings. Bluemoth, she told me, exists to push back on all these tropes.<\/p>\n

<\/fbs-ad><\/p>\n

Indeed, caring about hearing health, as with mental health in context of the pandemic, has seen more heightened awareness in recent times. \u201cThat [the importance of hearing health] to me is something I really want to bring a lot more awareness to, because there are so many benefits to having your hearing corrected and to be able to live as optimally as possible,\u201d Dr. Hecker said. \u201cNot only is it helping your hearing system, but it\u2019s helping your overall brain health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the societal stigmas around hearing health and hearing aids, another big issue Dr. Hecker and team are trying to address is cost. From a financial perspective, hearing aids are expensive and most insurance plans don\u2019t cover much of the costs, if at all. This reality is part of Bluemoth\u2019s value proposition, insofar as the company lets users to try hearing aids first rather than spend thousands of dollars\u2014money a person may not have\u2014on something they may not like. Everything about Bluemoth\u2019s model is \u201cradically different in the world of audiology,\u201d according to Dr. Hacker. \u201cVery rarely are you able to even try something before you commit thousands of dollars to purchase,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In terms of feedback, Dr. Hecker said it\u2019s been positive and reiterated the notion that more people nowadays are making preventive health a high priority. \u201cI think there\u2019s a big focus on [staying] as well and healthy as possible as an individual in every single way,\u201d she said. Moreover, Dr. Hecker shared an anecdote about a woman who recently got hearing aids through Bluemoth and was impressed by its technical chops. The woman, Dr. Hecker told me, openly wondered what to do with her AirPods after learning her hearing aids could stream music and podcasts too. While hearing aids and earbuds like AirPods remain fundamentally different, the center portion of the proverbial Venn diagram is getting closer than ever before. Add in the fact most modern hearing aids now have an AirPods-like charging case instead of traditional batteries, and it\u2019s easy to see the appeal in these cooler hearing aids. In the words of Dr. Hacker, today\u2019s hearing aids are essentially \u201clittle computers\u201d capable of doing much more than their beige and boring ancestors.<\/p>\n

Looking towards the future, Dr. Hecker anticipates hearing aids being even more capable as technology evolves, as well as preventive healthcare becoming even more en vogue. There is great accessibility, she told me, in having the freedom and the power to take control of one\u2019s health from your own home\u2014and at lower costs to boot. With Bluemoth, she added, customers aren\u2019t merely getting experts audiological guidance; they\u2019re a getting top-flight shopping experience as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is the really big push: to marry those things\u2014freedom [of choice] and fun and greater accessibility\u2014but also make sure that consumers are being taken care of in the most appropriate way given their their [medical] needs,\u201d Dr. Hecker said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back in late January, I covered hearing aid startup Orka. Take one look at the hero image and it\u2019s not hard to see the company\u2019s device looks a lot like AirPods\u2014and that\u2019s all by design. Orka co-founder and chief executive Ben Sun told me in an interview at the time one of his company\u2019s primary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7678","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leadership"},"yoast_head":"\nBluemoth\u2019s Dr. Melanie Hecker Talks \u2018Flipping The Script\u2019 On Hearing Health, Prescription Hearing Aids In Interview | Brandiary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Back in late January, I covered hearing aid startup Orka. 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