We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Matthew Kist. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Matthew below.

Matthew, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

This might not be directly tied with “Corporate America,” but I do think there are a lot of misconceptions about our field of audiology. First, no one gets into audiology because of the money. Hearing aid prices are high because of the research and development that goes into them. They are essentially computers that we wear on our ears, and it’s very difficult to be able to fit all the components into a device that size. In the current line of hearing aids, the software being used, the technology for the microphones, even the battery functionality– the research for all of that started seven years ago. So, we’re talking about a long time for research, trials, technology advancement and development for every new generation of hearing aids that averages an industry update around every eighteen months. Combine that with an audiologist’s expertise, clinic overhead, payroll, warranty coverage and follow-up appointments for three years, the bill adds up. It’s a shame that insurance doesn’t provide more coverage or benefits for patients. We, as a profession, are always pushing for that to happen by being in-touch with our local government, especially in terms of Medicare coverage. “Corporate America” is the almighty disconnect between patients and our industry. They get it wrong because the folks in charge are pulling strings from a position of profit and loss spreadsheets. They simplify a person’s hearing ability to percentages and features and don’t actually understand what is happening or how hearing can affect a person’s brain. This leads me to my next misconception, that we hear with our ears but we really hear with our brains. Audiology, as a whole, is so much more than fitting a device to a hearing loss. An audiologist will understand how the hearing loss is impacting a patient in all areas of life, decide the best approach for rehabilitation, and continually service and adjust the fitting prescriptions as the patient adapts to everyday use with them. The latter– the adjustments and changes are really the bread and butter of our profession. Programming a hearing aid can be basic but knowing WHY certain sounds are coming across a certain way and knowing the specifics to adjust is knowledge that comes from our medical classes in graduate school and years of experience in the clinic. We have to understand how sound is produced, how it is interpreted by a hearing device, and then in turn figure out how it is interpreted by our brain. This pillar of our expertise is a strong reason why over-the-counter hearing aids might not be as wildly successful as “Corporate America” thinks. They are also still relatively pricy and can only fit a mild to moderate hearing loss. What does that terminology even mean to someone considering an OTC hearing aid? What if the hearing loss is moderate in the low frequencies and severe in the high frequencies? It’s always best to visit an audiologist to get a complete picture of your hearing thresholds, your word discrimination, and your middle ear function. Yes, it’s our job to diagnose and treat hearing loss and vestibular disorders, but it’s also our job to educate the public.

Matthew, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I always like to start this story by saying that I’m a two-time college dropout. I was a class clown my senior year in high school for the most part and I didn’t even begin to get my life together until three years after graduation. Having to move back to your midwestern hometown after being in a big city on the east coast 12 hours away has a way of humbling you. I remember serving food at the local community college cafeteria to some of my high school classmates who had, at that point, several years of education under their belt, and it was painfully obvious they were mocking my hairnet and apron. It’s okay to learn a lesson about life and be embarrassed at the same time. That’s what 2007-2012 consisted of for me: learning what works for me and how I can change a situation to my advantage and be successful. Hard work and perserverance can get you very far in life, even if that hard work has to span over an entire decade.

I ultimately found audiology as I was pursing my undergraduate degree at the University of Cincinnati. I really enjoyed the medical aspect of it and the science of how our speech and hearing systems work. In graduate school I did a rotation at a private practice and now six years later, I own that practice and the previous owner, audiologist Kathy Luhn, works for me part-time.

In May of 2021, I purchased Luhn Hearing Care, LLC, now Luhn Hearing Care Associates/Northern Kentucky Audiology, LLC. The past year and a half of ownership have been unbelievable beyond my wildest dreams. I truly enjoy every aspect of it, from seeing patients and connecting with them on a personal level, to the business meetings and conference calls, to having students rotate in and out. Being able to work at this practice since I was a student allowed me to become engrossed in the community, and it has been such a rewarding relationship.

I think what sets us apart from other providers in the area is that we truly engage with our patients on a personal level. We love getting to know about the details of their lives, the hobbies they have, and their families! We love sharing photos of what is going on in our lives and it really does feel like meeting with different relatives throughout the day. We send out personalized birthday cards, engage in community outreach, and we have wonderful gift baskets filled with local farmers market items we give out to patients who refer others to us. We also work out of an old Victorian house, so it does not feel like the typical, white-walled doctor’s office at all. I’m very proud of the service we provide because I have no doubt it is the highest-level service in our area. This is reaffirmed by the fact that Kathy has been nominated for “Best Audiologist” in the greater Cincinnati area. We truly tailor our care to our patient’s needs: We will come in early, stay late, come in on the weekends, and do everything we can to provide top care and ensure patient satisfaction.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Even though I have a small team, it is imperative that we all show up to the practice expecting to have a great day. And more often than not, that is exactly what happens. The three of us understand how important of a role we all play and that one of us cannot function at a high level without the other two. Effective communication is absolutely necessary for success to happen, and I often reiterate this idea on a weekly basis. Luckily, we are so close with each other that there is rarely any drama in our practice, and we are always willing to help out with any situation, personal or professional, that needs addressing. Communication and honesty, those are the keys. Maintaining high morale can be quite easy once those expectations are consistently met. Of course, I do the little things, like buy us lunch at least once a week, let everyone personalize their work areas, and ensure they have exactly what they need to perform their role. But I also make sure the bigger picture things get to happen too. If someone needs off for something that pops up or vacation time or even just a personal day, I make sure I’m as flexible as possible so I can help prevent burnout or dissatisfaction from missing a family event. Sometimes this does require me to perform several roles at once in the practice, but that’s what a good boss does. We just have a lot of fun together because we all buy into the values of our practice. This definitely translates well for the patients because it’s a lot easier for them to feel relaxed and comfortable when then entire staff is relaxed, comfortable, and happy.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Traditionally, we’ve always marketed three ways: patient referrals, physician referrals, and insurance referrals. Of these, patient referrals have always been the biggest and it will continue to stay that way. It’s effectively free marketing. If you provide outstanding service and ensure every patient is satisfied, they are more than happy to hand out your business cards and send friends and neighbors your way. We also put together some incredible Thanksgiving baskets for physician offices that send patients to us. These baskets are huge and include some of the best homemade treats and baked goods you can imagine. Kathy really does an amazing job with these, so much so that the staff of these offices will see us coming from the parking lot and greet us to see if they can get their hands on some of the goodies before anyone else! More recently, I’ve been trying to grow our online presence. Since May of 2021, we’ve been able to go from a handful of 5-star Google reviews to 33. These reviews have been wildly instrumental in getting new patients in the door because the content of each review is so relatable. I am very grateful for the kind words people have been willing to say publicly online about our practice and it reaffirms that we take care of our community and that patients believe in the value a small, family-centered private practice brings to the table.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.luhnhearingcare.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LuhnHearingCare/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-kist-au-d-45a40b124/