CareCredit helps make hearing aids affordable

As patients' out-of-pocket costs continue to rise, hearing care practitioners increasingly are looking to offer patients viable financial options aside from cash payment and consumer credit cards. One of the biggest players in consumer healthcare financing is CareCredit, General Electric Corp.'s Healthcare Financing Division, which has been offering a healthcare-specific line of credit product to consumers since 1987. CareCredit entered the audiology market about 3 years ago and has been adding hearing care practices and their patients at a steady pace each year, according to Terry Silance, CareCredit's national sales manager for audiology and ENT. Eligible practitioners include licensed audiologists, hearing instrument specialists, and ear, nose, and throat physicians working anywhere in the United States and Canada. Instead of buying the hearing aids that are best for them, Silance says, patients are frequently forced to opt for less expensive hearing devices because they can't afford the ones that their hearing care practitioner recommends as best suited for them. For example, a GE consumer finance study of hearing aid financing showed that the average hearing aid charge for persons using Visa or MasterCard is $1945. That compares with a 12-month, no-interest plan financing average charge of $2695 and a 48-month, low-interest plan average charge of $3192, the study found.FigureWhat's more, return rates for financed hearing aids are only 3%-4%, compared with an industry average of 15%, notes Silance. “The lower return rate also indicates that patients are happier with their selection,” he adds. PAYMENT IN TWO DAYS When a patient at a hearing care practice signs up for a line of credit with the CareCredit program, the practitioner receives full payment within 2 business days, says Silance. To enroll, patients complete a short application in the practitioner's office, which is then submitted for approval through the company's web site (www.carecredit.com), telephone, automated phone, or fax, he explains. Approvals typically are made within minutes, adds Silance. The CareCredit program is a line of credit that can be used for repeat healthcare purchases. Patients can finance up to $25,000 with no-interest plans up to 18 months and with low-interest payment plans that can extend as long as 48 months. The low-interest option carries a 9.9% interest rate, which is lower than most credit cards, he notes. “The practice benefits from improved cash flow, reduced accounts receivable, increased patient satisfaction, reduced returns, and more sales,” Silance says. “The patient has an easy, affordable way to immediately get the care they need and conveniently pay over time with a payment that fits within their budget.” Further information is available by contacting Terry Silance at 800/300-3046, ext. 4172, or [email protected].

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