For-profit system (Score 4, Interesting)

My significant other is a speech pathologist and she went to school with a bunch of audiologists. While they were in school the audiology students were able to attend several lavish conferences, fully paid for (travel and hotel). Who paid for them? The hearing aid companies. They were given tickets to hockey games (yes this is Canada) and even jewelry. She asked her audiologist classmates if they felt it was a conflict of interest that they were accepting these gifts from the hearing aid companies. Most shrugged it off and said it wouldn't affect their opinions of the products. But how could it not? A few products then get recommended to patients, the companies can jack up the prices, and of course the audiologist will sell you the most expensive one because that is the one the companies are pushing as the best in the market. Review your hearing aid options online and take the audiologists word on a product with a grain of salt.