Hear me knocking

The chief audiologist for Collier County's public schools is hitting the road.

Ann Rasmussen recently started a private practice called Doctors Hearing that includes home visits for those who request it. Although home visits by audiologists are common in large cities, Rasmussen says she's the first audiologist to offer this service in the Naples area.

“I work with quite a few elderly patients and we don't realize how difficult it is for people to get in the car and go to the doctor's office,” Rasmussen says. “Patients who live in assisted living facilities have shuttles, but they only run on certain days.”

Because of improvements in technology, the three bags that contain Rasmussen's equipment easily fit in her Toyota Prius. The heaviest piece of equipment is her four-pound laptop computer, she says.

Rasmussen doesn't charge more for a home visit than an office visit and the service is generally covered by insurance. She considered setting up as a concierge service, but worried patients might think she's expensive. “I'm here to help,” she says. “That's why we didn't brand ourselves as a concierge.”