ASHA Advocate: August 28, 2026
August 28, 2026
Advocates: Write a Letter and We'll Hand-Deliver It
This year, ASHA is giving members another way to be part of its Capitol Hill Day advocacy. Through September 10, when advocates use ASHA's Take Action Center to send a letter to members of Congress, ASHA will print these letters and Hill Day advocates will hand-deliver them during their meetings with members of Congress on September 23. Be a part of Capitol Hill Day from wherever you are!
CMS Releases Final Rule for Hospitals That Reflects Continued Transition to Value-Based Care
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Fiscal Year 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital final rule. The rule introduces two major episodic care models to hospitals: the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Expansion and the Transforming Episode Accountability Model. This introduction reflects a continued transition to value-based payment models.
ASHA Offers New CPT Code Workshop for Speech-Language Pathologists
ASHA Convention attendees can join ASHA Advocacy on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. ET for a free in-person workshop at the JW Marriott Indianapolis prior to the ASHA Convention. Through realistic treatment scenarios and guided discussion, participants will explore coding, documentation, and implementation considerations associated with the new speech-language pathology treatment codes. Spots are limited, so register today.
Arkansas Audiologists See Update in Scope
Last month, Arkansas finalized new regulations implementing Act 517 of 2025, which made changes to audiology licensing and scope of practice. Among other things, the changes allow audiologists to conduct health screenings, order but not interpret cultures and bloodwork testing, order and perform in-office non-radiographic testing of the external auditory canal, and order but not interpret radiographic imaging.
ASHA Comments on IACC Strategic Plan
ASHA submitted comments to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) [PDF] urging the committee to strengthen its strategic plan to better reflect evidence-based communication services and the roles of audiologists and SLPs. The letter shares concerns about facilitator-dependent communication methods where authorship can’t be verified and calls for more SLP involvement in evaluations. ASHA also recommends greater recognition of audiologists’ role in autism evaluation, stronger attention to literacy and responsible use of AI, and policies that support access to evidence-based services across the lifespan. These proposed changes are important to ensuring autistic individuals receive safe, effective, individualized communication supports—and that federal policy reflects the expertise of audiologists and SLPs. ASHA will continue to monitor and engage on this issue.
ASHA Working for You
- Facilitating practice across state lines by urging House leaders to advance the States Handling Access to Reciprocity for Employment (SHARE) Act (H.R. 2332), which would reduce administrative barriers that could delay practice privileges in compact states. Take action on this bill now.
- Protecting students’ access to services provided by educational audiologists and school-based SLPs by urging Senate committee leaders to preserve the U.S. Department of Education and federal funding for programs such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Take action now to support these efforts.
- Promoting accessible information and communication technology for people with communication disorders by meeting with the Veterans Affairs Section 508 Office to discuss its accessibility needs.
- Strengthening state association engagement with communication sciences and disorders students by updating grant priorities to address student-identified workforce transition needs and launching the updated ASHA State Association Student Engagement Grant. ASHA launched the grant through a webinar and Q&A session with leaders from 16 state associations.
- Spreading awareness about new CPT codes for SLPs by hosting webinars for state leaders and ASHA members sharing information on Medicare’s proposal and how professionals can prepare. Watch the recording.
Find more comments and testimony letters on ASHA's website.
Spotlight
ASHA-certified SLP Jennifer Jenkins has become the official Democratic nominee for Congress in Florida’s eighth congressional district. Learn more about her campaign and what motivated her to become a passionate advocate.
Resource Highlight
ASHA Advocacy offers a wide range of informational videos to keep members engaged in advocacy and informed on timely topics. Videos cover topics such as coding, Medicare, Medicaid, schools issues, state legislative updates, election reviews, and more. Scroll through recorded videos on ASHA Stream and keep an eye on ASHA Events for future offerings.
