The Payer Portal

ASHA’s Payer Portal provides information critical to payers in evaluating coverage for audiology and speech-language pathology services for individuals with communication, swallowing, balance, and cognitive impairments and disorders.

On this page:

Conditions Treated
Role of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists

Conditions Treated

Condition- and Intervention-Specific Resources

Find key information regarding the role of audiologists and speech-language pathologists specific to the following areas of clinical practice:

Autism
Cognitive Intervention—in development
Aural Rehabilitation—in development

Communication Disorders

A communication disorder is an impairment in the ability to receive, send, process, and comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal, and graphic symbol systems. A communication disorder may be evident in the processes of hearing, speech, and/or language, and may range in severity from mild to profound. Disorders may be developmental or acquired. Individuals may demonstrate one or a combination of several communication disorders. A communication disorder may result in a primary disability, or it may be secondary to other disabilities.

Developmental Disorders

Developmental disorders, developmental disabilities, and developmental delays refer to specific impairments that differ from typical development. Stedman's Medical Dictionary (28th ed., 2006), defines development as “the act or process of natural progression in physical and psychological maturation from a previous, lower, or embryonic stage to a later, more complex, or adult stage.”

Development is a natural state, but when paired with disorder, disability, or delay, it indicates an abnormal state. A diagnosis of a developmental impairment indicates an abnormal state of function and hearing and speech-language services are as medically necessary for this patient as they are for an adult who lost speech and language function after a stroke.

The National Business Group on Health's Investing in Maternal and Child Health: An Employer's Tool Kit recommends, as minimum plan benefits, services for speech, hearing, and language disorders, and specifies that people may use services to “develop skills inhibited by a problem present at birth or a developmental delay.”

Role of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists

Audiologists

Audiologists provide expert services in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing, balance, and other auditory disorders (e.g., central auditory processing disorders and tinnitus) for individuals of all ages.

Audiologists provide the following services:

Comprehensive audiologic and vestibular evaluations
Determination of candidacy for and selection, fitting, and programming of hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other hearing-assistive technology
Auditory rehabilitation and counseling for patients and their families
Ototoxicity monitoring of the auditory and vestibular systems as a result of prescription drugs or treatments, such as chemotherapy
Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring
Cerumen management

Additional information is available in the Audiology Scope of Practice.

Speech-Language Pathologists

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are experts in assessing, diagnosing, and treating speech-language and swallowing disorders in children and adults. These disorders include speech sound disorders, stuttering, voice disorders, language deficits, social communication deficits, and cognitive deficits as well as related feeding behaviors.

SLPs provide services and devices for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), including speech-generating devices. They also provide aural rehabilitation for individuals with hearing impairment. SLPs counsel individuals, their families, and their caregivers by providing education, guidance, and support. Additional information is available in the Speech-Language Pathology Scope of Practice.

Qualifications (Including State Licensure and Certification)

All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia require a license to practice in both audiology and speech-language pathology. ASHA certification awards qualified individuals a voluntary national credential (the Certificate of Clinical Competence, or CCC) demonstrating that the certificate holder has surpassed the minimum requirement of state licensure in audiology or speech-language pathology.

To qualify for ASHA certification, applicants must have graduated from a graduate program that is accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA), meet all requirements as outlined in the certification standards, pass a national examination, abide by ASHA's Code of Ethics, and demonstrate that they actively engage in ongoing professional development. Internationally educated applicants are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.