Trends in Hearing Healthcare 2026 (LIVE Webinar Sponsored by Oticon)-Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar “Trends in Hearing Healthcare 2026,” sponsored by Oticon, opened with logistics on CE credit, recording, captions, and evaluation. Oticon’s new president, Michael Lamberson, and Adam Fitzsimmons discussed market and patient trends in hearing care.<br /><br />Lamberson presented global and U.S. market data showing steady long-term growth driven by an aging population, with the hearing aid category typically growing 4–6% annually. He noted stronger growth after COVID, then some flattening in 2025–2026 due to economic uncertainty and high purchase costs. He also highlighted a decline in managed care share and a drop in OTC market share after an initial spike.<br /><br />Fitzsimmons explored why many people still delay hearing care, framing barriers as price, access, technical complexity, time, and identity/stigma. He argued that hearing aid adoption is influenced by more than price alone and emphasized the importance of offering simple, discreet, and time-efficient solutions.<br /><br />The presentation then shifted to AI in hearing healthcare, distinguishing machine learning from deep neural networks and describing current and future uses, including patient communication, charting, business analytics, and personalization. The speakers stressed that AI will support, not replace, clinicians.<br /><br />A Q&A followed on managed care, OTC trends, product fit, and upcoming Oticon releases.

Keywords

hearing healthcare

2026 trends

market growth

patient barriers

artificial intelligence

hearing aid adoption

demographic aging

Oticon webinar

clinician efficiency

Oticon

market trends

aging population

managed care

OTC hearing aids