Audiologist Survey Reveals Patient Income Significantly Affects Hearing Aid Preference

Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid Market to See Almost Tenfold Increase

VANCOUVER, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ - According to a new report by iData
Research (www.idataresearch.net), the leading authority in medical device,
dental and pharmaceutical market research, the U.S. Bone-Anchored-Hearing-Aid
market will increase almost tenfold by 2016, while the overall market for
hearing aids and audiology devices will reach over $7 billion. The report
also contains the results of an audiologist focus group, which has found that
patient income levels significantly impact hearing aid style preferences.

iData's report states that open-fit or receiver-in-canal models were the most
popular styles, particularly among middle and high-income households, due to
aesthetic and comfort preferences. The traditional behind-the-ear (BTE) models
were the second most popular, particularly among lower-income households due
to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement constraints and the style's long
history in the market. However, traditional BTE hearing aids are quickly
becoming eclipsed by the rising popularity of open-fit and receiver-in-canal
styles. Over the forecast period, the overall number of units sold and average
selling price of BTE models is predicted to decline.

The report also states that the bone-anchored-hearing-aid segment will be the
fastest growing of the overall U.S. market for hearing aids, climbing at a
compound annual growth rate of 35.5% by 2016.

"Bone-anchored-hearing-aids created a treatment option for a portion of the
hearing impaired population who could not be treated with standard hearing
aids," says Dr. Kamran Zamanian, CEO of iData. "Because there are hundreds of
thousands of untreated patients market growth will be rapid."

iData's U.S. Market for Hearing Aids and Audiology Devices report includes
comprehensive analyses of the markets for bone-anchored-hearing-aids, cochlear
implants, diagnostic devices, AOE/ABR analyzers, audiometers, tympanometers,
real-ear analyzers, otoscopes, hearing aid batteries and the overall hearing
aid market by style and circuit. The report also provides the results of a
comprehensive audiologist focus group and detailed competitive analyses, which
cover companies such as Cochlear, Oticon, Phonak, Siemens, Starkey and Widex,
among others.

For more information, register free on iData's website at:
http://www.idataresearch.net/idata/registration.php

About iData Research

iData Research (www.idataresearch.net/idata/discoveridata.php) is an
international market research and consulting group focused on providing market
intelligence for medical device, dental and pharmaceutical companies. iData
covers research in: hearing devices, endoscopy, orthopedics, cardiovascular,
dental, pharmaceuticals and more.

SOURCE iData Research Inc.

Drew Gutschmidt, (604) 266-6933, drew@idataresearch.net