This article is a part of the May/June 2026, Volume 38, Number 3, Audiology Today issue.
By Patrick Gallagher, MBA
As the Executive Director of the Academy, I spend much of my time listening to Academy members, policymakers, and partners in health-care. One frustration continues to surface: the audiology profession has been oversimplified. I most recently heard this sentiment at the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) convention in San Antonio that your clinical expertise is too often not recognized. Hearing loss is framed as a product problem rather than a health-care issue. The implication is subtle but powerful: if hearing is just about volume, then treatment must be as simple as purchasing a device and turning up the volume.
That story is incomplete.
The good news is that the AAA is here to empower its members to change the narrative among the public, other health-care professionals, and regulatory agencies. Just last month at AAA 2026, impressive new advances in hearing health technology were on full display. If you were there, you also heard in session after session about the role of audiologists also play in improving the lives of patients by providing best practices. Convention attendees left with practical strategies and tools to change the narrative and raise the bar on how hearing and balance care is provided.
Barriers remain, both external and internal. For example, the expansion of over-the-counter hearing devices has deepened the public misconception that hearing loss is something a person can simply self-treat without professional involvement. Within the profession, audiologists who do not provide care reflective of their training and expertise reinforce the perception that equates treatment with a device.
An Academy volunteer leader explained it this way to me. “Hearing loss is far more complex than just turning up volume. Audiologists know and counsel patients that we do not hear with our ears alone, we hear with our brains. The ears detect sound, but the brain interprets, organizes, and makes meaning of it. When someone has hearing loss, we are managing a neurological and cognitive process, not just fitting a gadget.”
Audiologists are not solely device dispensers and therefore should be providing a level of care reflective of doctoral-level clinicians who diagnose, counsel, rehabilitate, and coordinate care. It should not come as a surprise then when some third-party administrators reward product selection over clinical judgment and fail to adequately reimburse the professional services that are the true foundation of patient outcomes. The Academy stands firm on the principle that effective hearing health-care is not a commodity; instead, it is a clinical service delivered by trained professionals.
Another Academy leader described it well: “We are doctoral-level clinicians trained in differential diagnosis, risk assessment, care coordination, and medical referral, yet clinical reports often read like technical summaries rather than a health-care assessment. When reports focus narrowly on audiometric thresholds and device recommendations without clearly articulating diagnostic interpretation, medical considerations, functional impact, risk factors, evidence-based recommendations, and coordinated care plans, we unintentionally narrow our professional identity. If we want recognition as essential health-care providers, our documentation must reflect it. Scope is not just what regulations allow; it is what our daily decisions demonstrate. Practicing to the top of our scope requires intentional clinical reasoning, confident communication, and documentation that signals our value within interdisciplinary health-care systems. If we want stronger integration into health systems, improved reimbursement, and broader policy recognition, our daily practice must reflect that level of professionalism. Scope is not theoretical; it is operational. And it begins with how we think, decide, and report.”
The Academy plays a pivotal role in supporting members by developing documentation standards, templates, and training resources that guide audiologists to communicate diagnostic interpretation, functional impact, medical considerations, evidence-based recommendations, and coordinated care plans. The Academy is helping members to elevate their delivery of care through evidence-based guidelines, continuing education, peer resources, and advocacy that begins with empowering audiologists to see themselves and present themselves as the full-scope clinicians they are. The Academy exists to amplify your impact and value.
The path forward is about stepping forward with clarity, confidence, and unity. I invite you to encourage your colleagues to join you in stepping forward by becoming a member of the Academy. An easy way to promote membership is to incorporate your Academy membership into your personal brand. Here are some easy to implement ideas: https://www.audiology.org/.
I have been thoroughly impressed with the collective expertise and skills of Academy members to advance the profession through hard work and quality care. The Academy is with you across all practice settings, and we will continue to develop valuable resources for members such as what you will find here. Join with your colleagues in leading the way to amplify audiology’s value.
