According to a new report by iData Research, the U.S. Bone-Anchored-Hearing-Aid market will increase almost tenfold by 2016, while the overall market for hearing aids and audiology devices will reach over $7 billion : the bone-anchored-hearing-aid segment will be the fastest growing of the overall U.S. market for hearing aids, climbing at a compound annual growth rate of 35.5% by 2016. "Bone-anchored-hearing-aids created a treatment option for a portion of the hearing impaired population who could not be treated with standard hearing aids," says Dr. Kamran Zamanian, CEO of iData. "Because there are hundreds of thousands of untreated patients, market growth will be rapid." The report also contains the results of an audiologist focus group, which has found that patient income levels significantly impact hearing aid style preferences. It states that open-fit or receiver-in-canal models were the most popular styles, particularly among middle and high-income households, due to aesthetic and comfort preferences. The traditional behind-the-ear (BTE) models were the second most popular, particularly among lower-income households due to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement constraints and the style's long history in the market. However, traditional BTE hearing aids are quickly becoming eclipsed by the rising popularity of open-fit and receiver-in-canal styles. Over the forecast period, the overall number of units sold and average selling price of BTE models is predicted to decline.