COVID-19: Private Practitioners Report on Office Closures and Telepractice

As schools and businesses shut down the week of March 16 in response to social distancing and shelter-in-place directives related to COVID-19, private practitioners put the brakes on in-person treatment. To keep their services going in this uncertain time, many have embraced telepractice—a new medium for some. State and individual payer regulations vary on telepractice coverage; check state and payer websites regularly for updated information. ASHA is continually updating webpages on telepractice and COVID-19 (also listed below in the resources section), and has also released new guidance on providing private-pay services to Medicare Part B beneficiaries. Whether in solo practice or owner of large, interdisciplinary clinics, audiologists and speech-language pathologists are adapting their practice model to continue to serve clients–as best they can—and to keep their businesses afloat. Here’s what some of them are saying. Susan Arnold, MS, CCC-SLP, Professional Speech Association, Coral Springs, Florida; president, American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology and Audiology Susan Arnold spent the week of March 16 cancelling a three-day conference, trying to convert her practice to telepractice, and answering questions from AAPPSPA members. Arnold takes pride in the way private practitioners from throughout the country have stepped up to help one another. “On person will call an insurance company, sit on the phone for hours, get an answer, and send the in...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Advocacy Audiology Health Care News Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology COVID-19 medicare Source Type: blogs