Abstract
Abstract
A healthcare profession's economic position is determined not only by its educational preparation or clinical scope, but also by how its services are classified, reimbursed, and translated into professional labor demand. This article examines audiology through the integrated framework of professional taxonomy, revenue generation, and labor economics to explain the structural factors underlying the profession's current economic position within the U.S. healthcare system. Drawing on principles of labor economics and evidence synthesized from companion analyses of workforce supply and professional earnings, the manuscript characterizes how regulatory classification, reimbursement authority, and prevailing revenue models interact to shape the valuation and deployment of audiologic labor. The analysis argues that audiology occupies a hybrid position spanning diagnostic, therapeutic, and product-linked models without achieving full economic recognition within any of them. This structural misalignment limits independent billing authority, constrains pricing power, weakens the relationship between clinical expertise and professional revenue, and contributes to compressed earnings, restricted workforce growth, and limited scalability of service delivery. Understanding these interdependent structural relationships provides an explanatory framework for interpreting audiology's workforce and economic challenges and establishes a foundation for evaluating future policy, reimbursement, and practice model reforms intended to strengthen the profession's long-term sustainability.