This article is a part of the May/June 2021, Volume 33, Number 3, Audiology Today issue.
Sycle looked at anonymized data from March 2020 to January 2021, compared to the same timeframe the previous year. The data is limited to Sycle customers who have opted-in to share anonymized data.
Interesting insights:
The impact on patient intake was immediate, but recovery started in summer 2020 and continues to improve.
- Comparing 2020 to 2019—random days, percentage change in patients:
- March 4: -1.3%
- April 10: -91.3%
- May 19: -45.7%
- June 11: -25.9%
- July 28: -26.5%
- August 12: -20.5%
- October 21: -10.5%
- November 10: -6.3 %
- Existing patient appointments, compared to the previous year, were down 8.9 % with a larger impact on new patient appointments—down 23.3%. Focus on prospect marketing is key for clinic recovery.
- Patient makeup changed with regard to age. The number of patients over 80 decreased by 8.9%. For patients 20–39 and 40–59, percentage increase was 15.1% and 5.1% respectively. Online tools like appointment scheduling will be key for younger audiences.
- Hearing aid sales were down 12.7% overall. After a surge following the largest dip, sales leveled off close to pre-pandemic levels.
The pandemic has had a strong impact on the audiology industry, but the numbers are returning to normal.
Sycle, as the market leader in audiology practice management software, reacted immediately to the pandemic to help our clients and continues to provide the best solutions for today’s modern clinic.
