Abstract
Evolutionary changes occur across health care, including within the hearing care delivery
system. At times, the change is driven by external forces and thus elicits a reactive
response. In contrast, developing a vision of a future state, and subsequently the
strategies to achieve that vision, is a proactive and a preferred process. Using the
reactive versus proactive framework, a future state built around the emergence of
genetics as both an assessment tool and a treatment option is presented. In addition,
a broad, consumer-centric vision for access to affordable and contemporary hearing
care is presented that would result in an expanded and positive future state for hearing
care services.
Keywords
future state - hearing care - stakeholders - health policy - genetics
