You can get your hearing checked at an audiologist’s office, an ear-nose-throat (ENT) doctor’s clinic, a hospital audiology department, a retail hearing center like Costco, or through your primary care provider as a starting point. The best choice depends on whether you need a basic screening or a full diagnostic evaluation, and whether you already suspect hearing loss or just want a routine check.
Start With Your Primary Care Provider
For many people, the simplest first step is bringing up hearing concerns at a regular doctor’s visit. Primary care providers can do a basic screening and, more importantly, look inside your ears for common issues like earwax buildup or fluid behind the eardrum that might be causing temporary hearing trouble. If the screening suggests actual hearing loss, they’ll refer you to a specialist for a comprehensive evaluation.
This route works well if you’re not sure whether you truly have hearing loss or if something else is going on. It also creates a paper trail with your doctor’s office, which matters for insurance coverage. Medicare Part B, for example, covers diagnostic hearing exams when ordered by a doctor or other health care provider. Without that referral, coverage can be more limited.
Audiologists: The Go-To for Full Testing
An audiologist is the specialist most people end up seeing for a complete hearing evaluation. They hold a graduate degree in audiology, typically requiring four years of study after a bachelor’s degree, plus a clinical fellowship and a licensing exam. They are not physicians, but they are the professionals best trained to identify the specific type and degree of hearing loss you have.
A full evaluation at an audiologist’s office goes well beyond what a screening can tell you. The core of the appointment is pure-tone audiometry, where you sit in a soundproof booth wearing headphones and respond to tones at different pitches and volumes. You’ll also do speech testing, which measures how well you understand words at various volume levels. Many audiologists also check the health of your middle ear using a quick pressure test that evaluates how your eardrum moves. Together, these tests create a detailed picture of what you can and can’t hear, and where the problem originates.
Audiologists are licensed to fit and dispense hearing aids, and they can help you and your family adapt to hearing loss over time. You’ll find them in private practices, hospital audiology departments, and university medical centers. If you’re looking for one near you, your insurance company’s provider directory or the website of a local hospital system is a good place to start.
ENT Doctors: When a Medical Cause Is Suspected
An otolaryngologist, commonly called an ENT, is a physician who diagnoses and treats conditions of the ear, nose, throat, and neck. You’d see an ENT rather than (or in addition to) an audiologist if there’s reason to think your hearing loss has a medical or surgical cause. That includes sudden hearing loss in one ear, ear pain, drainage, dizziness or balance problems, or hearing loss paired with ringing that affects only one side.
ENTs can order imaging, prescribe medication, and perform surgery if needed. Many ENT offices have an audiologist on staff, so you may get your hearing tested and see the physician in the same visit. If the ENT determines your hearing loss is the gradual, age-related kind or noise-related, they’ll typically refer you to an audiologist for hearing aid fitting.
Retail Hearing Centers
Costco, Sam’s Club, and several standalone chains operate hearing centers inside or alongside their stores. These are a popular option because the initial hearing test is often free. Costco’s hearing aid centers, for instance, offer a complimentary hearing test for members 18 and older, conducted by licensed hearing instrument specialists in a sound-treated room.
Hearing instrument specialists have different training than audiologists. Most states require a two-year apprenticeship and a state license. They can perform basic hearing tests and fit hearing aids, but they aren’t trained to diagnose complex auditory conditions or work with children. If your test at a retail center reveals something unusual, they should refer you to an audiologist or ENT for further evaluation.
The main appeal of retail centers is convenience and cost savings on hearing aids if you end up needing them. The testing itself is designed to determine whether hearing aids would help you, so it’s less comprehensive than a full diagnostic evaluation. For straightforward, age-related hearing loss in adults, that’s often enough.
Online Hearing Screenings
Several websites and apps offer free hearing screenings you can take at home with headphones. These can be a reasonable first step if you’re curious but not ready to book an appointment. A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research compared one validated online test against standard clinical audiometry and found a correlation of 0.93 to 0.94 between the two. The online tool correctly identified 75% of people who had moderate or severe hearing loss, and it correctly cleared 96% of people with normal hearing.
Those numbers mean online screenings are decent at flagging a problem, but they miss about one in four people who actually have significant hearing loss. They also can’t tell you what’s causing the loss, whether it’s in the inner ear or the middle ear, or how well you understand speech in noisy environments. Think of them as a screening tool, not a diagnosis. If an online test suggests any degree of hearing loss, follow up with an in-person evaluation.
Options for Veterans
All veterans enrolled in VA health care are eligible for diagnostic audiology services. VA medical centers have audiology departments that provide full hearing evaluations, hearing aid fitting, and ongoing follow-up at no cost to eligible veterans. Hearing loss is one of the most common service-connected disabilities, so the VA system is well-equipped for these evaluations. If you’re a veteran and haven’t enrolled in VA health care, checking your eligibility through the VA website is worth doing before paying out of pocket.
Hearing Checks for Children
Newborns should be screened for hearing loss within the first month of life. Most babies are screened in the hospital before discharge, but infants born at home or in birthing centers still need screening by one month of age. If a newborn doesn’t pass the initial screening, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends completing diagnostic testing by three months and starting intervention services by six months if hearing loss is confirmed.
After infancy, hearing screenings are part of routine well-child visits. The AAP recommends audiometry screening at ages 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10, then three more times during adolescence: once between 11 and 14, once between 15 and 17, and once between 18 and 21. These screenings typically happen at the pediatrician’s office or at school. If a child fails a screening or a parent has concerns about hearing, a referral to a pediatric audiologist is the next step.
What It Costs
Cost varies widely depending on where you go and what type of test you need. Retail centers like Costco offer free basic screenings. A comprehensive diagnostic evaluation at an audiologist’s office typically runs between $100 and $250 without insurance, though prices vary by region and clinic.
Most private insurance plans cover diagnostic hearing tests when they’re ordered by a physician, though you may owe a copay or need to meet your deductible first. Medicare Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams ordered by a health care provider. After you meet the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. Medicare does not cover hearing aids or the exams specifically for fitting hearing aids. You can also visit an audiologist once every 12 months without a provider’s order, but only for non-acute hearing conditions or evaluations related to surgically implanted hearing devices.
If cost is a barrier, community health centers, university audiology training clinics, and local chapters of hearing loss organizations sometimes offer reduced-fee or free evaluations. Calling ahead to ask about pricing and insurance acceptance saves time and surprises.