I am looking to get information around; a) the number of claims made for both subsidy and fully funded per annum over the past 10 years, b) demographics (age, sex, ethnicity, region of NZ) of claims, c) average expense (cost) to Ministry of Health/Enable/Accessable per claim for both fully funded and subsidy separately, d) a rundown of the device manufacturer ordered per claim per annum (over the last 10 years) and the listed cost on the hearing aid pricing list for both subsidy and fully funded (separately)- creating a list of devices ordered, make and model and cost of device (from the hearing aid price list), e) a rundown of claim numbers per fully funded eligibility criteria e.g. sudden loss, dual disability and their demongraphics.

This will be crucial as an update to our profession on current services to ensure costs:benefits are managed appropriately for all parties (clients/patients, professionals and government).
It will also provide insight into the current service model and provide datasets used to estimate potential cost savings or extended scopes for Audiologists leading to better health outcomes for hearing and balance impaired NZers.

This will provide insight into a) how many individuals are accessing hearing services and whether this lines up with estimated prevalence e.g. utilisation of services, b) utilisation of services by age, sex, ethinicity --> more around accessibility/barriers to current hearing services, c) the cost to government to support hearing services, d and e) insight on any trends for preference/bias to fit certain devices/technology, provide an opportunity to estimate the cost to client/patients, estimate client/patient.