ASHA’s National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS) is a voluntary data collection system that illustrates the value of speech-language pathology services. SLPs working in healthcare or school settings can register their organization as a NOMS data collection site. Soon, NOMS will allow us to demonstrate the value of audiology services as well. ASHA is developing an Audiology Registry that will be available in a future version of NOMS.
The key to SLP NOMS is the use of ASHA's Functional Communication Measures (FCMs). FCMs are a series of disorder-specific rating scales designed to describe the change in an individual's functional communication and/or swallowing ability over time.
Based on an individual's treatment plan/IEP, the clinician chooses and scores FCMs at admission and again at discharge from SLP services. The difference in FCM scores depicts the amount of change in communication and/or swallowing abilities after speech and language intervention. All data are submitted to ASHA's national registry. In addition to scoring the FCMs, the clinician also provides basic information on patient demographics and intervention characteristics (e.g., SLP diagnosis, frequency/intensity of treatment).
In exchange for submitting data to us, you and your organization have access to your data benchmarked against our national data.
NOMS allows us to demonstrate the value of speech-language pathology services (and soon, audiology services). It also provides our members with the needed tools to address questions posed by policy makers, third party payers, administrators, and consumers.