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This is another in a series of occasional ASHA Executive Director updates. These updates are intended to provide ASHA members with a more in-depth view of various National Office units, their key member services and the names and roles of ASHA staff in those units. Information about staff changes and ASHA National Office recognitions/awards is also included.
Many thanks to those of you who have provided feedback regarding the previous updates or suggestions for future ED updates.
This update focuses on the Health Care Services in Speech Language Pathology unit.
The Health Care Services team is part of the Speech Language Pathology cluster. The team tracks trends and develops resources, in collaboration with other ASHA staff units, to assist over 35,000 speech-language pathologists working in health care settings such as hospitals, outpatient facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and home health. The team's activities and resources include:
Access Healthcare. This bimonthly e-newsletter provides timely updates and relevant Web links related to SLP practice across health care settings. ASHA members can opt in to receive the e-zine at Access-SLPhealthcare-request@lists.asha.org.
SLP Health Care Survey. Current trends in personnel shortages, caseloads, salaries, and productivity are tracked across different types of health care settings through this biannual survey.
Health Care Conference/Business Institute. This annual conference provides state of the art information on key areas of health care (dysphagia, adult neurogenics, and early intervention). The Business Institute was created to respond to the increasing demand for information about administration in health care settings and private practice. The next conference will be held April 4-5, 2009 in the Washington DC area.
Working with ASHA Committees and Working Groups. The team serves as ex officio for committees that are appointed to develop policy documents on topics such as endoscopy, videofluoroscopy, telepractice, dysphagia in schools, and supervision. Currently the Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Documentation is working on developing assessment templates that can be used in electronic documentation.
Liaison with other Organizations. Other organizations and agencies have a significant impact on SLPs' practice in health care. The team serves as the staff liaison to accrediting organizations such as The Joint Commission and CARF, and interacts with other groups such as the Alzheimer's Association, World Parkinson Congress, American Telemedicine Association, and the National Association for Health Care.
Clinical and Practice Issues on ASHA's Web site. The SLP member area of the Web site is continually updated to provide resources on clinical topics such as aging, aphasia, dementia, dysphagia, and TBI. In addition, the pages address professional issues such as documentation, health literacy, infection control, patient safety, and reimbursement and coding.
Collaboration with Other ASHA Units. The team provides SLP health care expertise to The ASHA Leader and Professional Development unit, and collaborates closely with the Governmental Affairs and Public Policy unit in advocating on health care regulation and reimbursement issues. The team is currently promoting information about Medicare private practice billing and working with other staff to provide input to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on alternatives to the outpatient therapy cap.
Technical Assistance. The Health Care Services Team responds to phone calls and e-mails from ASHA members and consumers on topics related to SLP disorders and practice in health care. In 2007, the team responded to approximately 1,000 requests. The most frequent topic was swallowing treatment and instrumental assessment, followed by practice issues such as productivity, competencies, and ethics.
Health Care Services Team
Janet Brown, Director
jbrown@asha.org
Amy Hasselkus, Associate Director
ahasselkus@asha.org
National Office Staff Updates
The following individuals are new to the ASHA staff since September 2008:
- Katie Bromley, Director, Grassroots & Congressional Advocacy
- Susan Burger, Academic Affairs Program Manager
- Vanessa Dennis, Manager, CE Registry
- Jeremy Jones, Administrative Assistant
- Avneet Matta, Database Developer
- Kate Romanow, Director Healthcare Regulatory Advocacy
The following staff has changed positions within ASHA:
- Carmen Santana, Administrative Assistant (formerly Member Receipts Coordinator)
The following individuals have left ASHA to pursue other opportunities:
- Earl W. Brown, Building Engineer
- Kristina Kite, Administrative Assistant
- Brandy Littlejohn, Manager, CE Provider Records
- Ildemaro Rueda, Receiving Clerk
- Monique Williams-Ross, Administrative Assistant
The Next Executive Director Update: State Advocacy Unit and Liaisons
Hope to see you at Convention in Chicago November 20-22, 2008!
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