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There are several available resources to find hearing aid help. With a little persistence you will find hearing aid providers that will meet your needs.

• Get a referral from your family doctor.
• Ask your health insurance company.
• Complete a Google search for an Audiologist in your local area.
• Use the yellow pages in your phone book or online.

In this article I'll walk through each of these options to help you decide which option is the best for you.

Get a Referral From Your Family Doctor.

Chances are if you have a need for audiological services you have been referred by your treating physician. If not, ask your doctor for a referral, if for no other reason than to just make you more comfortable in choosing a service provider. If you have medical insurance that covers hearing aids and/or hearing care services you may need to check with your medical insurance representative to decide if a referral from a physician is necessary to receive coverage. Do your homework.

Ask Your Health Insurance Company

Contact your health insurance company. They typically will have a directory listing the medical professionals that are in their network. It may include a listing of Audiologists as well.

Complete a Search on the Internet for an Audiologist in Your Local Area

Complete a search on the internet for "find an Audiologist" and you will find several very good online directories available to help you in your search.

• The American Academy of Audiology (www.audiology.org) has a searchable database by state and city. Select the "Find an Audiologist" link in the Quick Links section on the right-hand sidebar of the page.
• Another searchable database can be found at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (www.asha.org). Select the "Find a Professional" link in the Quick Links section at the bottom of the page.
• A third searchable database can be found at audiologyawareness.com. Select the "Find an Audiologist" link on the left-hand sidebar. This directory is searchable by state or zip code. The Audiology Awareness Campaign site's goal is to raise public awareness about hearing loss.

You can also complete an internet search by entering "Audiologist City State". Enter your city and state. You will get a listing of service providers in your area.

Use Your Phone Book Yellow Pages

A good old-fashioned resource in finding professionals in any industry is the yellow pages in your phone book. You can typically find listings under "Audiologists" or "Hearing Aids". There are also online versions of the yellow pages available:

• yellowbook.com
• yellowpages.com
• switchboard.com

Use the resource you are most comfortable with.