An audiologist is a professional who diagnoses, treats, and manages individuals with hearing loss or balance problems. Audiologists have received a master's or doctoral degree from an accredited university graduate program. Their academic and clinical training provides the foundation for patient management from birth through adulthood.

Audiologists determine appropriate patient treatment of hearing problems by combining a complete history with a variety of auditory assessments. Based upon the diagnosis, the audiologist presents a variety of treatment options to patients with hearing or balance problems. Audiologists dispense and fit hearing aids as part of a comprehensive habilitative program. As a primary hearing health provider, audiologists refer patients to physicians when the hearing or balance problem requires medical or surgical evaluation or treatment.

For more information on our audiologists, please see Our Doctors.

You need a hearing test if any of the following are true:

• My friends and family have pointed out that I'm not hearing well.
• I need the television louder than other people find comfortable.
• I often need things repeated.
• I feel like I can hear well, but not always understand conversation.
• I have difficulty hearing in background noise.
• I'm experiencing sudden hearing loss.
• I'm experiencing ringing or buzzing in my ears
• I'm experiencing dizziness.

You're probably talking about tinnitus. Tinnitus is the perception of sounds in either ear or within the head. It's often described as ringing, but can also be a buzzing, chirping, whoosing, rushing, roaring, or humming sound. Some people even describe it as "crickets." It can be caused by a variety of things, including hearing loss and noise trauma, ear disease, medications, stress, hypertension, or excessive earwax, just to name a few.

Our audiologists will help you understand...

You'll have a full evaluation of your hearing and the results will be shared and discussed with you on the day of your visit. It will be determined if the best course of action for you is a medical referral or a discussion on hearing aids or another course of action. If you are a candidate for hearing aids, a complimentary consultation will follow to offer you options and recommendations on what hearing aids might be best suited for you and your hearing loss.

For more information, please call us at 703.748.3300 or visit Our Process.

Most insurance plans will cover the initial hearing evaluation, although your plan may require a referral. Most insurance companies do not cover the cost of hearing aids, although some, including the Federal Employee Program through CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, may cover a portion. Even if we are not a participating provider with your insurance company, we will be delighted to complete and submit the paperwork on your behalf.

If you're a candidate for hearing aids, we'll make recommendations to help you. We'll show you the different sizes and styles and help you select one that is best for your hearing loss. When possible, we can also demonstrate how a hearing aid will look, feel, and sound for you.

95% of hearing losses are correctable through hearing aids. Additionally, all hearing aids come with an evaluation period of thirty days for you to try the hearing aids to make sure they are a good fit for you. If you decide not to keep them, the purchase price, less $150 per aid, is fully refundable. Lyric hearing aids, for appropriate candidates, have a $100 per aid non-refundable portion.

Hearing aids come with a warranty from the manufacturer, which includes repair coverage and loss or damage coverage. The manufacturer’s warranty is usually between one and three years, depending on the level of sophistication of the hearing aid. We are proud to say that our services, including counseling, reprogramming, and in-office repairs, are included for the duration of the warranty.