How do I look at a hearing clinic's community outreach to seniors' centres?

Start with a list of the centres and groups the clinic works with. Ask what the clinic does at each: talks, free screenings, displays or sponsorship. Ask how long each relationship has lasted and who first arranged it. Some may be informal and rely on a single friendly contact.

Next, look for results. Ask how the clinic records where new patients come from, and what share comes from these visits. If nothing is recorded, that tells you something too. Ask what the outreach costs in staff time, materials and travel, and what the clinic would do if a centre stopped inviting it.

Finally, ask who does the work. If the owner or one audiologist is the face of every talk, the outreach may not outlast their departure. Ask whether another staff member could take it on and whether the centres have been told about the sale. You might meet the organizers. Your accountant can compare the cost of outreach with its results, and your lawyer can advise on any agreements. Ask whether any centre has changed organizers recently, as a new coordinator can alter who is invited, and a good relationship with the old one may not carry over.

Key takeaways

• Get a list of centres, the activity at each and the contact.
• Ask how new patients are traced back to outreach.
• Find out who delivers the talks and whether someone else could.
• Ask whether any centre has a new organizer and what changed.