Research suggests that older adults with hearing loss have higher levels of healthcare use and increased healthcare spending compared to older adults without hearing loss.
These higher levels of health care use may be due to increased barriers to patient-provider communication and through increased risk of other health concerns, such as social isolation and cognitive decline, associated with greater health care needs.
In secondary analyses, ACHIEVE researchers analyze study data linked to Medicare Claims data to investigate whether hearing intervention reduces healthcare use and spending outcomes over three years.
Understanding the association between hearing care and health resource utilization could contribute to understanding the cost-effectiveness of hearing care and provide a novel method to improve healthcare utilization and outcomes among older adults.