Google review for Idaho Elks Hearing and Balance
My primary care physician referred me to Dr. Jessica Clark at the Eagle location of Idaho Elks Hearing and Balance for testing my hearing and recommending ways to improve it. I found Jessica to be a compassionate healthcare provider. She understood well the human psychology of reluctance to use hearing aids. She explained the positive consequences if I choose to use hearing aids as well as the negative consequences if I chose not to use hearing aids. She explained in terms that I could easily understand what was going on with my hearing and what the technology could do for me.
A few months after I began using hearing aids, my hearing took a sudden turn for the worse in one ear. Jessica had an important family situation that took her away from work. In her absence, I saw Dr. Rebecca Taylor, who is the Director at the facility. Rebecca tested my hearing again and measured a dramatic loss in one ear. She referred me to an otologist/neurologist for a more in-depth evaluation. Throughout my high-tech career, I managed a lot of engineers, so I was responsible for evaluating performance on the job. I evaluated Rebecca’s performance, and she demonstrated some very important behaviors:
1. Her listening was excellent. She listened to what I complained about and understood my issues.
2. Her analytical skills impressed me. She analyzed the data from the tests.
3. Her diagnostic skills were strong. Improper diagnosis is very common in everything from car repairs to hearing evaluation. Rebecca used what she heard (listening skills), combined that with the data (analytic skills) and diagnosed the cause of the problem (diagnostic skills).
4. Rebecca’s integrity impressed me. Too many people only tell the positive side of things. Rebecca acknowledged some of the negative aspects of both the technologies and the tests that had been prescribed by others. I appreciate her honesty.
The performance of a business usually reflects on the leader. As the Director, Rebecca seems to be leading by example, which I consider to be very good and rare these days.
Very early in my experience, Jessica mentioned to me the availability of educational sessions on hearing loss. There is a series of four monthly sessions that are held at the Meridian location of St. Luke’s hospital. I found them to be extremely helpful. In particular, the person who delivers the presentation, Lori, has a wealth of experience in dealing with people like me who are new to hearing aids. Lori demonstrated great listening skills. She really understood what was not working for me. More importantly, Lori proved herself to be a “person of action” on multiple occasions. Rather than just dismissing me as one of many complaining persons in her classes, Lori took it upon herself to contact Jessica and to recommend some next steps. Each time this happened, I found that Lori made things quite a bit better for me! That speaks well of both Lori and Jessica.
When I bought a hearing accessory that did not perform to its advertised specifications, I mentioned it to Jessica. Jessica and Rebecca worked with the manufacturer to swap out my hearing aids for another model with superior performance. I am in the initial days of using those, so it’s too early for me to evaluate the effectiveness of the change. I still appreciate greatly their willingness to fix the problems I experienced.
Of great importance to me is the attitude of the employees toward me as their customer. I’ve already mentioned Jessica and Rebecca. In addition, the front office people, Hazel and Lena, are very customer-oriented and always make me feel important. They have been able to fit me in as I’ve needed help. In today’s healthcare marketplace, that is a refreshing experience. When the front office staff at other healthcare facilities are cold or appear fearful, I see that as a sign of poor management. It’s the opposite of that at the Eagle location of Idaho Elks and Hearing. The positive environment of the front office staff is an indication to me of good management.
