Search ASHA Publications About Professional Issues and Speech-Language Pathology Practice Management
The ASHA Leader and ASHA online journals are excellent sources of materials to supplement your curriculum.
ASHA Journals
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The ASHA Leader
Selected Online Leader articles about Professional Issues and Speech-Language Pathology Practice Management:
The Cantonese-English Bilingual Project
A study is tracking the language development of preschoolers who speak Cantonese at home, and learn English as preschoolers.
Cultural Competence in Treatment of Adults with Cognitive and Language Disorders
The growth in mature adult populations of people of color in the United States provides tremendous incentive for speech-language professionals to develop culturally sensitive policies and service delivery.
Preparing for Health Insurance Exchanges
Development of state-level health care exchanges, as required by federal health care legislation, will include issues and considerations important to audiologists and speech-language pathologists.
New PQRS Measure Available to SLPs
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has added a new quality measure this year related to electronic health records for speech-language pathologists participating in the Physician Quality Reporting System.
State Budget Cuts Will Affect Members, Services
Speech-language pathologists and audiologists who work in public schools, deliver health care services under Medicaid, or teach in public universities—and the individuals they serve—will feel the impact of proposed state budget cuts, if current proposals pass state legislatures in the next few months.
The Value of Value-Added Assessment
Value added assessment is a comprehensive, statistical process used by school districts to determine how each school professional contributes to the academic progress of students and to assess the quality of each staff member. Do school-based speech-language pathologists need one?
The Social Media Mix: How SLPs and Audiologists Are Using Social Media in Their Professional Lives
There are many social networking sites devoted specifically to SLPs and audiologists. CSD professionals should be aware of the more popular sites and trends and how they can help—or hurt—their professional lives.
Obtaining Objective Data in Clinical Settings, Basic Techniques for the Clinician
Identifying sensitive and objective indicators of a patient's function and change in function is important to consider when providing speech-language treatment. Objective data regarding changes in patient function provide evidence about intervention effectiveness and should be used at the start and end of treatment and also at regular intervals throughout.
Clarifying Our Terminology
Moving the discipline forward by defining terms and sharing data.
Medicaid Reimbursement in Schools
Addresses major issues related to billing and payment for school-based services for Medicaid-eligible children.
Emergency Planning for Your Clinic
Natural disasters or acts of violence have sudden and often unanticipated consequences on business operations. When catastrophic events interrupt business operations, an established and well-executed emergency plan is essential.
Health Care Reform and Speech-Language Pathology Practice
Congress and presidential administrations over the last 20 years have slowly moved forward with Medicare value-based health care purchasing initiatives. These initiatives were bolstered and extended with the recent passage of major health care reform legislation. As sections of the law and accompanying regulations are implemented during the next few years, the ways in which hospitals, physicians, and non-physician health care professionals operate and practice will change in fundamental ways.
When Health Plans Demand Repayment
Clinicians beware: receiving payment for claims from private health plans or government health care programs does not necessarily close the accounting books on those claims.
Medicare Fees Get Temporary Fix
Legislation signed into law at the end of June and retroactive to June 1, sets reimbursement for speech-language pathologists and audiologists who provide services to Medicare beneficiaries through Nov. 30, 2010, at a rate 2.2% higher than 2009 levels.
Skilled Nursing Facility Assessment Tool Focuses on Patient Communication
A revision of the Minimum Data Set, the tool used to assess Medicare beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities, places a new emphasis on the patient's communication abilities and needs as well as the patient's ability to direct his or her care within a facility.
Coverage for Pediatric Services
Plans often deny treatment for several reasons; clinicians can help their clients by understanding the possible reasons for denial and strategies to avoid them.
NOMS Approved as Quality Measure Registry
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has announced that ASHA's National Outcomes Measurement System has been approved to serve as a registry for the reporting of speech-language pathology quality measures under Medicare's Physician Quality Reporting Initiative.
Communicating Effectively with Elders and Their Families
Here are some guidelines to enhance your ability to communicate effectively with older clients and their families, which is essential to quality service delivery in audiology and speech-language pathology.
Role Ambiguity and Speech-Language Pathology
As the scope of practice for speech-language pathology has grown, clinicians in all practice settings have redefined their roles and expanded their knowledge to provide services to people with communication disorders.
Illinois Passes Endoscopy Legislation
In response to advocacy efforts, a new state law enacted in August will amend speech-language pathologist's scope of practice to include the independent use of endoscope procedures.
Medicare Begins Audits of Claims
Audiologists and speech-language pathologists in southern and western states may face audits for improper payments on Medicare claims.
Federal Plan Mandates Speech Treatment
Insurance carriers that provide health coverage under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program will be required to cover habilitative speech-language services for children in 2010.
Bottom Line: Improving Health Plan Payment Rates
Clinicians can employ specific strategies to negotiate the best possible rates when contracting with health care plans.
New Jersey Insurers Will Cover Autism Treatment
Beginning in 2010, Insurance companies in New Jersey will be required to cover screening, evaluation, and treatment for individuals diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Medicare Quality Reporting Available
In 2010, private-practice audiologists and speech-language pathologists will be able to participate in the Medicare Physician Quality Reporting Initiative program.
Health Reform Bills Would Benefit Children
The health care reform bills define rehabilitative and habilitative services as essential and would require coverage of hearing services, equipment, and supplies for children under 21.
Leading Change With the Workload Approach
The ASHA Schools conference became an incubator for systems change as 28 speech-language pathologists participated in a workload implementation practicum to draft plans to implement this model. The SLPs will participate in a year-long dynamic learning group.
Mentoring Program Relieves Staffing Shortages
A mentoring program was transformed into one that would target staffing shortages, professional development, clinician retention, and excellence in service.
Bottom Line: Privacy Act Basics for Private Practitioners
If you are new to private practice or thinking about opening a private practice, consider these key provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Clinical Ladders in Speech-Language Pathology
Clinical ladders are a valuable tool to provide incentives for advancement, financial rewards, and professional recognition.
New Medicare Regulations Raise Concerns for Some SLPs
New regulations that allow private-practice SLPs to bill Medicare directly will prohibit them from serving beneficiaries who pay out-of-pocket.
Custom Fit Your Marketing
Strategies for health care organizations to market to potential referral sources and patients; Audiologist Gail Linn shares the marketing philosophy and strategies she used to build a successful practice; A successful statewide marketing effort helps recruit and retain school-based clinicians in South Carolina.
Medicare Marketing for Private-Practice SLPs
The ability to bill Medicare directly can mean a big opportunity for a private practice to grow. Learn how to market your practice to physicians, other SLPs, and Medicare beneficiaries.
Medicare Checklist for SLPs: What to Do Now
A checklist of actions that you to take now to prepare to enroll in Medicare on June 2.
Bottom Line: The CMS-1500 Claim Form
Speech-language pathologists who choose to enroll as Medicare providers should be familiar with the requirements of this claim form which is also used by Medicaid and many private health plans.
Health Literacy at the Intersection of Cultures
Cultural differences can affect our clinical encounters and influence decisions about treatment.
Navigating the Early Intervention System: A Guide to Scope and Funding of Programs
Speech-language pathologists and audiologists can participate effectively in early intervention programs when they understand the scope of these programs and their funding mechanisms.
Supporting Family Caregivers: The Role of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
Clinicians can support the caregivers that play a crucial role in the patient's treatment by helping them to better understand the diagnosis, making referrals for stress-related problems, and providing information about resources.
Private Practice Regulations Released: SLPs Can Take 4 Steps Now to Enroll as Medicare Providers
Speech-language pathologists can take four steps now to enroll as Medicare providers.
Ethics and Patient Management: ASHA Guidelines Support Clinicians' Choices
Treatment decisions, payment requirements, and employer demands can converge to create ethical pressures. ASHA guidelines support clinician judgments about patient management and can help you defend your recommendations.
Health Literacy in Clinical Practice
The issues of communicating in plain language and improving the health literacy of all Americans are a national priority.
Making a Move Away From Insurance Contracts
Dealing with health insurance contracts can cost private practices time and money. ASHA members may want to consider opting out of private insurance contracts in favor of having patients deal with their insurance carriers.
A Legal Primer on Business Entities
Choosing a business structure is the key decision in starting a private practice.
Management Roles for Speech-Language Pathologists in Health Care
Follow the career path of several SLPs who've transitioned from clinical roles to management roles outside the discipline to see how you might follow in their footsteps.
Paper, Paper Everywhere? How to Go Paperless in Your Private Practice
There is a movement toward paperless practice with the advent of commercial management software systems designed for SLPs as well as multidisciplinary practices.
A Private Practice That Balances Work and Family: Minneapolis SLP Practice Honored
Three Minneapolis SLPs designed for their employees a work environment they would want for themselves, building a practice that was honored by Working Mother magazine.
Transitioning to Private Practice
Making the transition to private practice brings daunting changes-but the challenge of owning your own practice can be rewarding. Here's how to take the first steps toward your own business.
Telepractice in Schools Helps Address Personnel Shortages
Remote and underserved school districts across the country increasingly are turning to telepractice to meet the communication needs of their students-and finding success.
Overpayment Notices: Repaying and Avoiding Insurers' Claims
To avoid receiving an overpayment notice, providers must prevent or detect overpayments, know their rights and obligations, and be practical in obtaining resolutions.
Codes and Contexts: Exploring Linguistic, Cultural, and Social Intelligence
Being able to read the context and decode the message is essential for successful cross-cultural communication.
SLPs in Secondary Schools: Going Beyond Survival to "Thrival"
Speech-language pathologists need to go beyond survival in the public schools and move to "thrival" by using mantras that would guide practice to meet the dual goals of thriving as a productive professional and helping students thrive in school and life.
Supervision of Speech-Language Pathology Assistants: A Reciprocal Relationship
In the supervisory relationship between an SLP and SLPA, each person has much to give and to receive. Learn about the stages of supervision as the relationship evolves and the important components of the supervisory process.
Health Literacy: The Cornerstone of Patient Safety
All too often, citizens are at risk for unapproved and unsafe care because they have difficulty understanding and using health information. Learn about the risks of poor health literacy and steps you can take to address the problem.
Health Literacy: Research Directions for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Because health literacy poses challenges for people with communication disorders and differences, speech-language pathologists and audiologists have an integral role in health literacy research and intervention.
The Professions Around the World
A new Web-based directory goes global, helping speech-language pathologists and audiologists around the world build professional connections.
Web Accessibility for People with Communication Disabilities
Individuals with communication disabilities may have an impairment that may inhibit their ability to access the over 4 billion Web pages. Here are ways to help clients better access the Internet.
Empathy: A Clinician's Perspective
An exploration of empathy in the client-clinician relationship and its influence on satisfaction with treatment.
Clinical Documentation in Speech-Language Pathology
An overview of the rationale for documentation, documentation requirements and formats, treatment encounter notes, and electronic health records, and coding basics.