Frequently Asked Questions
About Lake Michigan Hearing Center and Lake Michigan Sinus & Sleep Apnea Center
Are you accepting new patients?
Yes. Dr. Thompson, Dr. Bovenkerk and Audiologist Cathleen Burns are accepting new patients. We can help you find the best way to get you or your loved one the medical help needed.
Where are you located?
Lake Michigan Hearing Center and
Lake Michigan Sinus & Sleep Apnea Center See map
2680 S. Cleveland Avenue
Saint Joseph, Michigan 49085
269-982-3368
269-983-3238 (FAX)
What are your office hours?
Monday — Friday, 8:30 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.
On major holidays all of our staff will spend time with our families.
How do I pay for your services?
You may pay us with:
- Cash, check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
- Insurance. Please bring your insurance card, and money for your co-payment or per-year deductible to your appointment. Your insurance company may set a reimbursement schedule that is lower than our fees. You will be responsible for paying the “balance” after we have been reimbursed.
Medicare does not typically cover the cost of a hearing test associated with determining whether you need a hearing aid, unless a physician orders the test. Please contact our Hearing Center for more information. Also, private insurance usually does not cover the cost of hearing aids. Please check with your insurance company to determine your coverage.
- Financing. Because your health care is so important, we have arranged for our patients to finance hearing aid purchases through the Help Card Program or Care Credit. Please call 269-982-3368 and talk with us about your financing needs prior to your visit. Your financial information will be held in the strictest confidence.
How do I make an appointment?
You may call us directly at 269-982-3368 during our regular office hours to set an appointment with Dr. Thompson, Dr. Bovenkerk or with Cathleen Burns. Or you may ask your primary physician or audiologist to schedule a referral appointment for you.
What if I miss my appointment?
With all of life’s distractions, it is not unusual to occasionally forget an appointment. Because we did not have adequate time to schedule someone else, we will charge you $25 for each missed appointment. To avoid this charge, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance if you cannot make your appointment.
What if I have questions about my bill?
Sometimes insurance companies do not allow or question some part of our service. This can create an unusually large balance due. If this occurs, please bring it to our attention so we may review the bill for accuracy or help you resolve the problem. If you ever feel that our charge is unusually large or small or appears to be for a service that you do not recall receiving, please call our billing department at 269-982-3368 and we will review it.
If your payment check is returned because of insufficient funds, we will charge you a $20 fee. You will need to pay this service charge, plus the outstanding bill, before we can provide further services.
About hearing loss for babies and children
What is hearing loss?
Hearing loss is when your child has a reduced ability to detect sound. There are many different types and degrees of hearing loss ranging from mild to profound. It may occur in one ear or in both and may be present at birth or develop later.
What causes hearing loss in children?
Your child’s hearing loss may be caused by:
- Drug or alcohol use during pregnancy
- Illnesses the mother had during pregnancy or difficulties during birth, i.e. German measles or viral infection
- Hereditary factors either from one or both parents. Hereditary hearing loss can also occur when there is no known family history
- Foreign objects such as a bead or food can block sound or rupture an eardrum
- Childhood illnesses such as Rubella, mumps, certain viruses and bacterial meningitis or infections
- Swimmer's ear, a painful bacterial infection that causes the ear canal to swell shut — It occurs when the ear remains wet after a bath or swimming
- Exposure to certain drugs or medications (during extended stays in NICU)
- Colds and ear infections can also cause hearing loss, but it is usually temporary
Newborn (Birth to 6 months)
- Does not startle, move, cry or react in any way to unexpected loud noises
- Does not awaken to loud noises
- Does not freely imitate sound
- Cannot be soothed by voice alone
- Does not turn his/her head in the direction of your voice
- Does not point to familiar persons or objects when asked
- Does not babble or babbling has stopped
- By 12 months does not understand simple phrases such as "wave bye-bye" or "clap hands" by listening
- Does not accurately turn in the direction of a soft voice on the first call
- Is not alert to environmental sounds
- Does not respond to sound or does not locate where sound is coming from
- Does not begin to imitate and use simple words for familiar people and things around the home
- Does not sound like or use speech like other children of similar age
- Does not listen to TV at a normal volume
- Does not show consistent growth in the understanding and the use of words to communicate
- Constantly tired
- Watches faces for clues
- Easily distracted
- Short attention span
- Talks loudly
- Often says, "Pardon?,""Huh?" or "What?"
- Doesn't respond when back is turned
- Chronic cold/running nose
- Quiet, not involved
- Speech delay — articulation errors
- Disruptive in class
- Needs instructions repeated
- Poor comprehension
- Poor classroom behavior
- Copies others school work
- Problems with reading, spelling and math
What should I do if I suspect my child has hearing problems?
First, try not to worry. There have been tremendous strides in technological and medical solutions for children with hearing loss. Most can grow up to live very fulfilling lives.
Second, although it can be very difficult, accept that your child has a hearing loss. Then make an appointment with Audiologist Cathleen Burns to evaluate your son’s or daughter’s hearing. No child is ever too young to test. With our computerized diagnostic equipment, Cathy can even test the hearing of a newborn baby.
If the diagnostic tests indicate a hearing loss, Cathy will refer your child to our otolaryngologists (physicians who specialize in ear diseases), for medical evaluation. Then he will work with you to set a treatment and therapy plan for your child.
How will you treat my child’s hearing loss?
If your child’s hearing loss is caused by a cold or ear infection, it will often clear up on its own. If it does not, it is usually easily treated with medication or in some cases, inserting pressure equalization tubes to help drain fluid from the middle ear into the ear canal. Other times hearing loss can be corrected by removing earwax buildup.
Some children, however, are born with physical deformities to the outer or middle ear that cause conducive hearing loss. Surgery can sometimes correct it. Hearing aids are also a solution.
Other children have sensorineural hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear. This cannot be cured with surgery, however, hearing aids and therapy can help your child hear and learn to talk.
Do hearing aids help?
One thing that surprises many parents is that hearing aids do not help immediately. Your child will need to learn how to use hearing aids and how to listen to sound and speech. This learning is what normal hearing children go through before they learn to talk or to understand their parents. It takes time.
Our professional team will help you choose the best hearing aids for your child. We work with a number of manufacturers to ensure you get the hearing instrument choices you need. In some cases, it may be more effective for an otologist, whom our office would refer you to, to surgically implant a hearing aid into your child’s cochlea.
We usually recommend that your child wear two hearing aids. We see better with two eyes and hear best with two ears. Once Cathleen and her staff fit the aids to your child, they will help both of you learn how to use them.
What will be your family’s most important job? Talk, talk, talk to your son or daughter. It is the best way for your child to learn how to use his or her hearing.
About teen and adult hearing loss
What causes hearing loss?
The most common causes of hearing loss for teens and adults are:
- Noise. Noise related hearing loss usually develops over many years. The noise you experience at work, riding a motorcycle, attending or performing in rock music concerts, shooting guns or racing hot rods, even doing common chores such as using a power lawn mower or leaf blower.
- Age. Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss. It is gradual, so gradual in fact that you may not even notice it is getting worse! As you grow older, the nerve tissue and cells in your inner ear change. This loss may be mild or severe but it is always permanent.
- Other Causes. Earwax buildup. A foreign object in the ear. An injury to the head or ear. Infections. Cancer treatments. Ruptured eardrum. Otosclerosis (a condition that affects the bones in your middle ear). Non-cancerous tumors on the cochlear or auditory nerve. Meniére’s disease which causes sudden vertigo (a dizzying, spinning sensation) and other conditions.
For adults especially, it can be hard to detect right away. Some common symptoms include:
- Difficulty hearing in quiet settings, large groups, when someone is speaking from another room, while talking on the telephone, listening to the radio, television or in the movie theater or in meetings
- Other people mumble or speak too quietly
- Men’s voices are easier to hear than women’s or children's voices
- People complain that you don’t listen or you interrupt when others are talking
- You frequently ask people to repeat what they said
- Others say you talk louder than usual
- You are more cautious when you drive
- You have ringing or buzzing sounds in one or both ears
First, do not try to talk yourself out of your suspicions. Hearing loss affects millions of adults in the United States. When you cannot hear, it affects your ability to communicate with others and your quality of life. Next, make an appointment with Audiologist Cathleen Burns to evaluate your hearing. If a medical evaluation is needed, she will refer you to one of our otolaryngologists (physicians who specialize in ear diseases). Cathleen will then discuss with you your options. You may be able to get by without a hearing aid if you make adaptations to your environment or use assistive listening devices. Other times surgery or medical procedures will improve your hearing. But for most people, the best solution is the proper selection and fitting of hearing aids. Cathleen dispenses the following types of hearing aid: Phonak and Micro-Tech.
Why do hearing aids cost so much?
- Hearing aids are manufactured and sold in relatively low volumes. Although there are nearly 30 million hearing impaired, only 1.7 million aids are sold each year. We work with several manufacturers so we can match one to your hearing, as well as your budget needs.
- Manufacturers spend a great deal of money on research and development.
- It takes an audiologist a long time to evaluate a patient’s hearing needs. Once fitted with a new hearing instrument, the audiologist spends hours acclimating the person to the new aid. Discount priced hearing aids are often poorly constructed and do not come with the services we provide.
Hearing aids should last at least five years. Programmable and digital hearing aids may last longer since all they usually require is an adjustment at Cathleen’s office to adapt to any hearing changes you may have over the years.
How long will it take me to adapt to my new hearing aid(s)?
The time it takes to adjust varies from person to person. We always offer a trial or adjustment period with new hearing aids. Your ability to comprehend speech may increase as you wear them over several months. Don’t be surprised if you hear sounds again such as birds singing or your grandchildren whispering.
How can I conserve my hearing?
Protect your hearing from loud sounds. If you cannot carry on a conversation in the presence of any type of noise, then the sound is too loud for your ears and could lead to hearing loss. Whenever you are in noisy situations, wear hearing protection. Earplugs and earmuffs are inexpensive solutions, but Cathleen also can recommend custom Westone products designed specifically for musicians or work-related noises.
Medications can also affect your hearing. If you take medications, be sure to ask your physician about possible side effects that may affect your hearing. If ever you take medication and hear ringing in your ears, contact your physician to report it.
When are noises too loud?
Here are some common noises that exceed the safe 85-decibel danger zone:
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