Tuned Launches to Bring Hearing Health Mainstream

• Hearing care innovator aims to bring lifelong preventative hearing care and hearing benefits to employers and workforces nationally, as it closes pilot programs with RetailBound and Mishe
  
  
• With 20% of U.S. adults and 15% of U.S. children experiencing some form of hearing difficulty, digital-first offering delivers clinically supported hearing care to chronically underserved patient segment
  
  
• 120 audiologists are on board at launch as Tuned looks to transform audiology career paths and challenge the prevailing 'Big Ear' hearing care model in the U.S.

NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tuned, an online hearing health company, today launched its clinically validated audiology platform for hearing care. Tested in pilot programs with Retail Bound and Mishe, Tuned is now available to employers and workforces nationally. Patients who book with Tuned can take an advanced online hearing health screening, consult virtually with a credentialed audiologist, and receive ongoing personalized care and support. Only charging for actual per session usage, Tuned empowers employers to offer a new form of employee benefit tethered to lifelong holistic hearing care.

Nearly 25% of working-age adults and 15% of school-age children experience hearing issues, from ringing in the ears (tinnitus) to balance issues to auditory processing disorders. Once limited to factory or warehouse workers, hearing fatigue and hearing issues are now presenting in knowledge workers, with many Americans working in remote or hybrid environments that require all-day headphone use.

Hearing loss is twice as prevalent as cancer or diabetes and is one of the most common chronic conditions in the U.S. Traditional annual health screenings track high blood pressure or cholesterol as potential chronic condition risk factors, yet no equivalent standard of care exists in hearing health. At least 50% of people with untreated hearing loss have never had their hearing professionally checked before age 60, despite 60% of people with hearing loss being under retirement age. Undiagnosed hearing loss can have deleterious impacts on quality of life, including increased anxiety, depression, social isolation, and reduced mental health and cognitive function.

"Hearing is one of the most important ways we communicate with the world, every second of every day. Yet most of us haven't had an audiology consultation since third grade," said Danny Aronson, CEO and co-founder of Tuned. "We believe that more is possible in hearing care and hearing health, and that employers have an important role to play in bringing hearing care mainstream as a traditional healthcare benefit."

Undiagnosed hearing issues cost employers $22,434 per person over a 10-year period, representing a 46% increase in healthcare spend compared to people without hearing loss. Yet hearing care is rarely covered under commercial health insurance plans.

Tuned offers hearing care as a specialty benefit, helping employers take a preventative, holistic approach to hearing care. Employers have full insight into pricing and process, and only if the employee uses the benefit. 

"As a remote-first company driven by progressive action and the desire to offer the most comprehensive benefits to our team, we knew adding Tuned would give us a competitive edge," said Yohan Jacob, CEO, RetailBound. "We're looking forward to rolling Tuned to our entire workforce."

Tuned serves patients of all ages, including children, by connecting qualified and credentialed audiologists to patients via an easy-to-use clinically validated platform. The Tuned 360 Hearing Profile is the most advanced hearing screening available online, offering an affordable, convenient and accessible solution to anyone in the world. The Tuned platform is independent and brand agnostic; all products are independently vetted by Tuned audiologists.

At launch, 120 credentialed audiologists are on board, covering all 50 states. Audiologists interested in working with Tuned can visit https://www.tunedcare.com.

Tuned is a digital-first hearing care company. Available as an employer-sponsored benefit, Tuned offers lifelong preventative hearing care and hearing benefits to patients of all ages. The company supports care with comprehensive product options for hearing health, freeing employers from the need to evaluate thousands of headset and software combinations. Today, 1.4 million people can access Tuned through employer benefits and marketplaces. Tuned is a private company headquartered in New York City, with audiologists across the United States and worldwide. For more information visit: https://www.tunedcare.com

Media Contact:
Rob Mazzini
646-599-3502
[email protected]

SOURCE Tuned