INNOVATION, DISRUPTION, AND TELEAUDIOLOGY

Innovation, although sometimes disruptive, may expose a new population of consumers to a product or service that they previously could not access. This can occur in business, manufacturing, and even health care. The innovation projects developed in the Teleaudiology and Engineering laboratory at East Carolina University have the potential to bring hearing health care remotely to populations of individuals with little to no access. However, the new system has interrupted many aspects of the traditional healthcare practice in the audiology field, including technology, reimbursement, and regulation/licensure. The authors outline steps toward alleviating these disruptions. Other innovators can take similar strategies to minimize disruptive impacts that their inventions bring to the society.