ASHA Advocate: November 10, 2023

2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Released

The recently released 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule final rule for Part B (outpatient) services includes new Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes for audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) effective on January 1, 2024, and extends coverage for telehealth services through December 31, 2024. Payment cuts return for audiologists, SLPs, and other clinical specialties despite ASHA’s ongoing efforts to prevent these cuts. ASHA submitted extensive comments [PDF] on the proposed rule earlier this year and has developed a summary of the final rule for our members. We recently signed a letter to congressional leaders [PDF] asking for Congress to stop the entire 3.4% cut to the conversion factor finalized in the rule and encourage ASHA members to contact your members of Congress requesting their support for improving Medicare payments.

Take Action to Stop Cuts

Warren Secures Commitment to Advance Audiology Bill

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), sponsor of the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act (S. 2377), secured a commitment from leaders of the Senate Finance Committee to “advance this commonsense bipartisan bill in future legislation.” The action occurred after Senator Warren offered the bill as an amendment to separate legislation the Committee was considering. Watch Senator Warren’s remarks [video] and take action to urge Congress to pass this bill, which will give seniors more timely and robust access to the full range of services audiologists are uniquely qualified to provide.

Source: Video from Senate Recording Studio (11/08/2023)

CSD Students Urge Congress to Fully Fund IDEA

ASHA hosted Virtual Student Advocacy Day in conjunction with National NSSLHA to encourage Congress to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Overall, more than 1,600 CSD students sent 4,782 messages in support of the IDEA Full Funding Act (H.R. 4519/S. 2217). The outreach has helped generate eight new cosponsors on the House bill over the past two weeks. Take action now to build on the momentum these students started. 

Take Action on IDEA 

Working for You

• Met with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to discuss their Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) model, the role of audiologists and SLPs in value-based care, and to offer ASHA members’ expertise in caregiver training and communication in dementia care.
• Submitted testimony to the House Ways & Means Committee [PDF] in support of the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act (H.R. 1477). This legislation would expand qualified expenses under 529 savings plans to include postsecondary and other training and credentialing expenses, such as licenses and professional nongovernmental certifications. Learn more and take action.
• Met with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Director of the Division of Human Development and Disability to discuss potential issues of mutual interest and collaboration, including ways to improve newborn hearing screening as well as follow-up diagnosis and treatment.
• Senators Mike Braun (R-IN) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) cosponsored the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act (S. 2377), bringing the total number of cosponsors to 10. Learn more and take action.
• The 2024 Medicare Home Health Prospective Payment System and Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System final rules were released in early November. The policies, effective January 1, 2024, include a modest 0.8% payment update to home health agencies and a 3.1% update to hospital outpatient departments. See ASHA’s summaries of the final rules for home health and hospital outpatient departments for additional details, including ASHA’s comments on the proposed rules.

Spotlight!