Frequently Asked Questions
The Coates Hearing Clinic corporate locations are owned by Dr. Kathleen Coates and her husband, Jordan. Dr. Coates spent her first 5 years in a neurotology practice before deciding to open Coates Hearing Clinic. Jordan was a sales manager at a family-owned Ford dealership where he learned the value of ethical sales practices and taking care of the customer. Both Dr. Coates and Jordan have personal experience with hearing loss and tinnitus. Read more of their story here.
The costs will vary depending on your geographic location, type of equipment purchased, office renovations needed and other factors. The CHC Franchise team has a network of suppliers for equipment and products, allowing the franchisee to attain some equipment for discounted rates. There are also options for used equipment. In comparison with most franchise offerings, the initial cost to open a Coates Hearing franchise is very affordable! Check out the Financial Information page for more information.
This is a good question. Think of a franchise purchase a Lego set. Just like that set of Legos comes with every piece needed to create what’s shown on the outside of the box, buying a Coates Hearing Clinic franchise gives you immediate access to every piece you need to start an audiology practice…on day one. We’ve spent years perfecting a handbook and processes for every position from the front desk staff to audiology assistants. We also have a complete set of audiologist protocols that is patient-centered and backed by research. We’ve also spent thousands of dollars (and hundreds of hours) developing and formatting dozens of branded patient handouts on everything from communication strategies to an explanation of the different types of hearing loss. When you sign the dotted line, you will immediately have access to a marketing plan that, after a few tweaks to maximize the effect in your geographic area, will be ready to go in a matter of days. You will also have access to Dr. Coates and Jordan who can help you navigate nearly any issue that might come up (because they’ve probably already experienced it).
Dealing with credentialing/contracting, health insurance and 3rd party hearing aid discount plans has been one of the toughest and most confusing parts of running private practice. After 5 years of hard work, we have figured out how to maximize reimbursements and work with and around 3rd party hearing aid programs to give patients the discounts they deserve without having to accept a paltry fitting fee and without sacrificing all of the revenue that comes from being in-network with the 3rd party.
Additionally, after years of negotiations (and due to our volume of hearing aid sales), we have been able to secure incredibly low pricing from several manufacturers, including one where our cost of goods is similar to what the 3rd party payers pay the manufacturers for their hearing aids! These discounted hearing aid prices are available to you on day one.
There must be good buying groups that exist. But, in our 5 years, we have tried out 4 of them and, each time, have not received the level of service that we hoped. While they all promise unlimited assistance with things like marketing, employee handbooks, insurance/billing help and administration, their staff is often spread thin and not able to provide the personalized support that most practices (especially new ones) need. Their staff also must work with several practices that operate in many different ways with many different systems. With Coates Hearing Clinic, all practices operate with the same systems under the same brand. Buying groups are usually able to only provide limited support to practices as they grow. The Coates Hearing Clinic franchise is a complete private practice creation kit that contains EVERYTHING that you need to plan, open, operate and grow YOUR private practice.
We are not aware of another family-owned, patient-first, medical model audiology franchise. There are hearing aid dealers and other options that are sales focused, but Coates Hearing Clinic is a medical practice franchise operation. What we are not is a non-profit. Patient care is our top priority not just because it’s the right thing to do, because it’s good for business. Being a medical practice eases patients fears about getting a “hard sales” pitch and getting treated by an audiologist (vs a dispenser) gives the patient access to the highest level of care. We’ve worked hard to create a business model that not only puts patients first, it’s also profitable.
All of them. In fact, we require our franchisees to have accounts with all of the major manufacturers so that they can assist any patient who comes through the door.
We do not have quotas, contracts, agreements or unit commitments with any manufacturers in regards to hearing aid sales. We want our franchisees to choose a manufacturer based on what's best for the patient.