Seattle Hearing & Balance Center

What Seattle Hearing & Balance Center does

Seattle Hearing & Balance Center is a Seattle-based private audiology practice founded in 1991 by Dr. Sandra Ellis, Au.D., F-AAA. The clinic delivers diagnostic and therapeutic hearing and balance care through a single office located in Suite 202 of Jefferson Tower on the Swedish Cherry Hill Campus. Service lines span adult and pediatric audiological evaluations, balance and vestibular testing, prescriptive hearing aid evaluation and fitting, tinnitus rehabilitation, auditory processing disorder assessment, hyperacusis treatment, cerumen removal, and custom hearing protection. Care is delivered by two Doctors of Audiology — founder Dr. Ellis and Dr. Satara C. Setzer, both F-AAA fellows — supported by an audiology assistant and billing staff.

The practice's technical stack is composed of conventional audiological instrumentation: a soundproof evaluation room equipped with an audiometer and related diagnostic equipment, videonystagmography (VNG) goggles with infrared cameras for objective balance assessment, real ear measurement (REM) systems used to verify prescriptive hearing aid fit, and Bluetooth-compatible hearing devices paired with iPhone and Android handsets. Prescriptive hearing aids are dispensed in four technology tiers (Top, Mid, Low, Basic) on a custom-fit basis using ear-mold impressions, with a 30-day satisfaction trial and a three-year bundled warranty that includes unlimited follow-up appointments. There is no proprietary software, no patient-facing app, and no API surface; the website functions as the primary digital touchpoint.

The business model is direct-to-consumer with two revenue streams: professional services (hearing and vestibular evaluations priced at $200 adult / $180–$380 pediatric, cerumen removal at $75 per ear) and hardware sales of prescriptive hearing aids. Most diagnostic testing is reimbursed by Medicare and commercial insurance; cerumen removal is often self-pay; and Washington State HB 1222 (effective January 1, 2024) mandates at least $3,000 per ear of prescriptive hearing aid coverage every 36 months for large non-grandfathered group plans, materially expanding the addressable reimbursed market. Marketing is limited to website content, Google reviews, and inbound Swedish-network referrals; there are no third-party resellers, retail outlets, or paid acquisition channels.

Name

Seattle Hearing & Balance Center

Legal name

Seattle Hearing and Balance Center

Website

https://seattlehear.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Seattle Hearing & Balance Center is a private Seattle audiology practice founded in 1991 that provides hearing evaluations, balance and vestibular testing, prescriptive hearing aid fitting, and pediatric audiology services to Pacific Northwest patients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audiology Services

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340), Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Audiology & Hearing Diagnostic Centers (HLAFAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Otology & Neurotology (Ear/Hearing/Balance) (HLAKAMAC)

Keywords

• Audiology services
• Hearing evaluations
• Vestibular testing
• Hearing aid fitting
• Balance diagnostics

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Audiological Evaluations: Professional audiology services including adult hearing evaluations ($200 out of pocket), balance and vestibular testing, and pediatric hearing evaluations ($180-$380). Testing typically covered by insurance including Medicare.
2. Hearing Aid Sales and Fitting: Prescriptive hearing aids custom-fitted to each patient's specific needs. Cost determined by technology level (Top, Mid, Low, Basic tiers). Care is bundled into the price of hearing aids including all follow-up appointments during the three-year warranty period. Payment plans available upon request.
3. Cerumen (Wax) Removal: Ear wax removal using irrigation technique. Cost is $75 per ear if not covered by insurance. CPT codes 69209/69210.
4. Custom Hearing Protection: Custom ear impressions and hearing protection products for concert-goers, hunters, motorcyclists, and sports fans. Includes ear impressions, two custom ear plugs, two filters, and any necessary remakes/follow-ups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Seattle Hearing & Balance Center is an independent audiology practice that provides diagnostic hearing evaluations, balance and vestibular testing, prescriptive hearing aid fittings, tinnitus rehabilitation, and custom hearing protection for adults and children. The clinic dispenses prescriptive hearing aids and related supplies directly to patients and offers specialized services such as auditory processing evaluations, cerumen removal, and hyperacusis treatment.

Product overview

Seattle Hearing & Balance Center is a healthcare audiology practice offering a unified set of clinical hearing and balance services. The practice operates as a single-location clinic that provides diagnostic evaluations (adult and pediatric hearing evaluations, balance/vestibular testing, auditory processing assessments) alongside therapeutic services (tinnitus rehabilitation, hyperacusis treatment, cerumen removal) and prescriptive hearing aid services (evaluation, fitting, and custom-fitted devices). Services are coordinated by Doctors of Audiology and include custom hearing protection as a specialty offering. The practice has been serving the Seattle community since 1991.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adult Hearing Evaluations

Quantifiable outcome

• Washington State HB 1222 requires $3000 per ear coverage every 36 months for prescriptive hearing aids
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Lexie Hearing: DTC/OTC hearing aid brand selling direct-to-consumer devices with remote audiology support—represents the emerging OTC-plus-telehealth model that competes with the lower end of the prescriptive hearing aid market.

Broad incumbents

• HearUSA: Large national hearing care network (part of WS Audiology) providing hearing evaluations and device fittings across many U.S. clinics—an institutional scale competitor pursuing the same patient demographic.
• Miracle-Ear: National retail hearing aid franchise with hundreds of locations offering hearing tests and device fittings—a large established competitor that competes for the same adult hearing-loss patients.
• Amplifon: Global hearing care retailer with a large U.S. clinic footprint offering hearing assessments, hearing aids, and aftercare—operates at significantly greater scale than independent audiology practices.
• Beltone: Established national hearing care brand with franchised clinics delivering hearing evaluations and hearing aid fittings—competes for the same prescriptive-device patient segment.
• Connect Hearing: National audiology chain (Sonova-owned) offering hearing evaluations, hearing aid fittings, and balance services in clinic settings—a directly comparable service model at multi-site scale.
• Costco Hearing Aid Centers: Warehouse-club hearing aid centers offering low-priced prescriptive devices and basic hearing tests—a major retail competitor that pressures pricing across the local market.

Direct peers

• Evergreen Speech & Hearing Clinic: Independent Pacific Northwest audiology and speech clinic offering hearing evaluations, hearing aid fittings, and balance services—directly comparable multi-service audiology practice in the same regional market.
• Columbia Hearing Centers: Pacific Northwest independent audiology group with multiple locations offering hearing evaluations, hearing aid dispensing, and balance diagnostics—comparable independent audiology operator with broader regional footprint.
• Puget Sound Hearing & Balance: Greater Seattle-area audiology clinic providing hearing evaluations, hearing aids, and vestibular/balance testing—an almost identical service mix and patient demographic to Seattle Hearing & Balance Center.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/seattlehearingandbalance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seattle-hearing-and-balance-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Seattle Hearing & Balance Center