“Go Beyond the Expected and Do the Extraordinary”
The year was 1985, and young Jim Wise was at a crossroads — should he finish a PhD in Audiology, or follow in his father’s footsteps and go to medical school? After much discussion with his wife, Carody, and their family and friends, Jim decided to finish his PhD, and that was the beginning of Associated Audiologists, Inc.
Jim and Carody rented a tiny room adjacent to the volunteer department at the original Olathe Hospital and began to fill it with used audiology equipment. While Carody worked full time in public accounting, Jim hit the pavement and developed relationships with local physicians to help them understand the benefits of audiology care for their patients.
“It was a bit hand-to-mouth at first,” Jim recalled, “but then things finally started to take off.” At that time, private audiology practices were rare — only one other practice was operating in the Kansas City area, and a few ENT practices had an audiologist on staff.
Building a Culture of Excellence
Jim and Carody were committed to building a place where patients could get top-notch care from people who truly cared. “We wanted to develop a culture of excellence and caring and develop relationships with our patients, because we knew these were going to be long-term relationships where we’d see people on an ongoing basis,” Jim shared.
“Something I learned from my dad that I told every audiologist I helped train was that your first priority was to sit down with your patients and hear their story. That was a cornerstone to what we wanted to practice. You go beyond the expected and do the extraordinary.”
From this foundation of excellence, the practice began to grow. “At first, we did it all!” said Carody. “But as we were able to add staff, we always looked to them for input. The people who are part of the practice are very good at empathy and it motivates them to treat others the way they would appreciate being treated if the roles were reversed. It’s a great feel — we’re in the business of helping people.”
As demand for their services began to grow, the Wises expanded the team and opened additional locations around the metro. Training new audiologists has always been a priority for the practice, and one student in particular — Tim Steele — made a strong impression on Jim and Carody.
“One of the first things I heard Tim say that really impressed me was that he knew he would learn a lot at Associated Audiologists because Jim had so much experience,” Carody recalled. “Jim was always ready and excited to hear what the students were learning in their programs, because he had a real commitment, practice-wide, of continuing to learn and stay up on the latest information. We recognized that everyone moves forward more steadily if you’re open to new ideas and new ways of thinking.”
Finding the Right Hearing Aids for Each Patient
Rapid advances in hearing aid and office management technology meant that this nimble approach was vital to the success of the practice. “When we first started out, we didn’t have computers,” Jim shared. “The Telex 28AC was the standard in-the-ear hearing aid at the time. It was an analog device. Things began to evolve as some of the companies started to come out with hybrid analog/computerized hearing aids, and eventually they became all digital and the equipment became more sophisticated, where they were more programmable to the individual.”
However, “you could have the best and most expensive hearing aid and if it’s not programmed right, it’s the worst hearing aid,” Jim emphasized. That’s why it was (and continues to be) so important to the Associated Audiologists team that every provider developed an ongoing relationship with each patient to ensure that their hearing aids were fit and programmed correctly and adjusted appropriately over time.
A Growing Network of Audiological Care in Kansas City
Remember that bright young student, Tim Steele? As fate would have it, Tim and his wife Julie took over ownership of the practice in 2010 and continued to lead with excellence since then. “You couldn’t have asked for better people to have taken over the practice,” Jim said. “Carody and I both care about Tim and Julie so much, and we’re so proud of both of them in terms of what they’ve done.”
The Wises hope the practice will continue to grow and be an integral part of the health care community in Kansas City. “Our practice is in good hands with good people,” Jim said, “and I hope that the profession of audiology will continue to expand and be part of the field of hearing health care.”
Schedule an appointment with Associated Audiologists today (or give us a call)!
