AudioSense FAQ - Audiology, Hearing & Balance Questions Answered

Do I need a doctor's referral to get an appointment with an audiologist?

No, audiology services are self-referral services. This means that you do not need a doctor’s referral to get your hearing tested at our hearing clinic. That being said, we do often work with doctors to make our services available to their patients and with your permission, to make sure that we communicate pertinent results of our tests. Just call or email us and we will book an appointment for you with the audiologist.

Is the hearing test covered by OHIP?

Unfortunately, no. Private audiology services were delisted from OHIP back in 2001, so there is a fee to get your hearing tested. At AudioSense, we perform a full battery of hearing tests for adults and kids where we the assess the function of the different parts of the ear, from the canal and the eardrum, middle ear cavity all the way to the inner ear. If you have personal health insurance coverage (that you’ve purchased personally or that you receive through your work), you may be eligible to seek reimbursement, depending on your policyand level of coverage.

Is there a fee for advanced audiology assessments, such as tinnitus assessments, consult for balance issues, tests of auditory processing disorders, audio verification of performance with bone anchored hearing aids or cochlear implants?

Yes. There is a fee for all of these advanced tests, however, in keeping with our mission of making hearing care accessible to all, you will find that our fees are very reasonable, compared to other hearing clinics.

I got my hearing tested elsewhere. They said I need hearing aids and gave me a copy of my audiogram. Can you recommend hearing aids for me and is there a fee for this appointment?

As long as you had your hearing tested in the last 6 months and bring in a copy of your hearing test results, we are able to offer quote appointments with our audiologists free of charge. During this appointment, we will go over your hearing test results with you and we will recommend the best and most appropriate types and brands of hearing aids for your hearing needs and your lifestyle. We may even get you to try the hearing aids by doing an in-clinic demo, to allow you to test-drive them and get an appreciation of how they work and how they would benefit you.

Are hearing aids covered by OHIP?

Yes, to a certain extent. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Assistive Devices Program (ADP) provides a grant of $500 per hearing aid every 3 to 5 years to most residents of Ontario. We send in the application on your behalf and bill ADP directly, so that you don’t need to pay for that portion up front.

Are there any other sources of funding for hearing tests, hearing aids, or anything else hearing/audiology related?

Yes! If you have personal health insurance coverage (that you’ve purchased personally or that you receive through your work), you may eligible for reimbursement of audiology services, depending on your policy and level of coverage. If you’ve made a health claim with your home or auto insurance as a result of an accident which resulted in your needed audiology services, then we will also help you with those applications.

In addition, funding may also be provided by the following agencies:

Medavie Blue Cross
Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)
Healthy Smiles, Clear Vision
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities (ACSD)
Ontario Public Guardian & Trustee
OntarioWorks
First Nations and Inuit Health
MediCard

Please see the attached links to find out if you qualify for funding under any of these programs.

We will also help you with any paperwork required to submit a reimbursement claim to your own personal or workplace insurance company.

When I shop around, I find that your fees are quite different than other clinics. Why is that?

At AudioSense, we are very transparent with our pricing. We are able to offer our services and products at reduced prices, because we do not upcharge you for anything and we also don’t bundle services and products into our pricing structure for things that you don’t need or want; this allows you, the patient, much flexibility to take control of the financial costs associated with taking care of your hearing health. That being said, if you do find that a particular hearing aid or cochlear implant is cheaper elsewhere, then simply bring us that official quote and we will price-match!

Unfortunately, audiology services are not covered by OHIP, but luckily, many insurance companies do offer coverage for our services and products – what private or workplace insurance will cover and how much depends on your specific policy. Also, in order to make our services and products financially accessible to you, we also work with many governmental agencies and 3rd party funders. We also help you with any paperwork required to submit a reimbursement claim to your own personal or workplace insurance company. Finally, we will also support you with the paperwork required for any motor-vehicle accident (MVA) insurance claims and post-concussion syndrome (PCS) insurance claims.

Hearing aids are expensive. I don’t have insurance and I don’t qualify for these third party funding programs. Does AudioSense provide financing or some sort of payment plan?

At AudioSense, we want to try to make sound and hearing aids as accessible as possible to you. This is why we offer three solutions to help make hearing aid more affordable and accessible for you:

Paybright Financing Buy now, pay later is the Paybright moto! We have teamed up with some of our hearing aid manufacturers andPaybright, to allow you to purchase your hearing aids at a cost that you are comfortable with right now! But, you can pay over time with no interest fees charged to you.
* Applicable on certain brands and models of hearing aids only.
* Available through AudioSense only
Medicard’s Patient Financing We have teamed up with Medicard to offers a simple and affordable way to finance your procedure, service or product and allows you to immediately acquire the care you desire. This is applicable to any service or product available at AudioSense
* Available through AudioSense only
AudioSense Pay AsYou Go Essentials Hearing Aid Sometimes, financing is not for everyone, and you just need an affordable solution to be able to purchase a good hearing aid, to increase your quality of life, but without leaving a hole in your wallet. At AudioSense, we offer our Pay As You Go Essentials Hearing AidPackage, which allows you to purchase a hearing aid, but pay only for the services and supplies that you need when you need them.
* Applicable on certain brands and models of hearing aids only.
* Available through AudioSense only.

Is there a fee for routine cleaning, maintenance or programming of hearing aids?

Yes and No. We now have our brand-new Touch-Up Tuesday events on the first Tuesday of every month. On Touch-Up Tuesdays, anyone can walk into the clinic between the hours of 9:30am to 5:30pm, and we will provide any routine cleaning and touch ups to your hearing aids free of charge, regardless of whether you are a patient of ours or not.

In general, however, if your hearing aids were purchased at AudioSense and are still under warranty, then there is no fee for any of these services – we have you covered! If your hearing aids are out of warranty, however, then we do charge an appointment fee for our time and services. If your hearing aids were purchased outside of AudioSense, then we would typically charge you an appointment fee for these hearing aid services.

Can I get my Cochlear processor upgraded at AudioSense? What is the process?

Yes, you can! AudioSense is an official distributor for Cochlear Canada Inc., which means that we can order your upgrades for you. What is more, Salima Jiwani, our lead audiologist, is a cochlear implant audiologist. She has her Ph.D. in Cochlear Implants and worked at Cochlear before AudioSense. Salima can load your MAPs onto the new processors and will give you a full orientation of all your new equipment, to make sure that you are ready and excited to listen with your new Cochlear!

How much is your dispensing fee on Cochlear upgrades?

We do not charge a dispensing fee on any of our Cochlear upgrades. However, we still promise to offer you the same level of excellent service that we offer all of our patients and that you’ve (hopefully) received in the past, whether from us or elsewhere

Can I get my Cochlear Implant Mappings done at AudioSense?

Yes, you can! AudioSense is one of the only clinics to offer private Cochlear Implant Mappings. When we do a mapping for you, we collaborate with your current cochlear implant hospital audiologist if you have one, and your ENT, to make sure that together, we can offer the best of services and hearing to you. During our very first mapping appointment, our audiologist will gather some information about your hearing history and cochlear implant history, so that the mapping can be as smooth possible. However, we do require that you remain a patient of your cochlear implant ENT. Unfortunately at AudioSense, we do not have an ENT on staff, and if you were to need further consultation by an ENT, we would want you go be able to do that with him/her in as timely of a timeframe as possible – this is particularly important for children.

I need an FM System. Can this be purchased at AudioSense?

Yes! Whether you are getting an FM system for personal use or through your school, we can help you with this. AudioSense is a Roger Certified Partner, which means that you get to take purchase your new FM system and receivers at a much-reduced price than elsewhere – thousands of dollars cheaper than elsewhere! If you’re in a post-secondary institution, there are disability grants that you may be eligible to apply for, and we will not only help you with the application, but we will also coordinate with your disabilities’ coordinator at school, so help you get as much funding as possible to help offset this cost so that you can hear and learn better!

Many other clinics out there offer promos on their devices and products. Do you do that as well?

Yes, we do! While our products are typically already more affordable than most other clinics out there, we do from time to time release promotions, discounts and other unique and special services.

Here are a few of those below:

Batteries for less

Hear your world, with our longest lasting mercury free batteries for less!

Hearing Aid Batteries: $30/box (60 cells)

Cochlear Implant Batteries: $60/box (60 cells)

Don’t want to come and want to have them shipped instead? No problem! Shipping in and around the GTA is a flat rate of $10, though, for those patients of ours who are within 1km of the clinic, we will happily drop off the batteries to your door to save you on that shipping cost! If you’re outside the GTA, ask us about shipping rates.
Are you in the police force? RCMP? VAC? Protect your hearing with our custom plugs and hearing care. 15% off with code* (in the tour of duty magazine) conditions apply.

Many other clinics out there offer promos on their devices and products. Do you do that as well?

Yes! AudioSense launched our Virtually Hear™ services. With Virtually Hear™, we can now test your hearing, fit hearing aids on you and do all our follow-ups completely remotely. It will be as if you were in our clinic, except you stay in the comforts of your home, and we will take care of everything else, so that you can access our services with no limitations!

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