ASHA Voices: How Will January ’s Home Health Changes Affect Services?
When changes in how Medicare reimburses for services took effect in skilled nursing facilities in October, we heard stories of speech-language pathologists who experienced job loss and changes in their pay or status.
What will happen when similar changes hit the home health industry on Jan. 1? Listen in as we discuss how to show your value under the Patient-Driven Grouping Model, or PDGM.
The new Medicare reimbursement model taking effect in home health might seem complicated and confusing. But in this week’s episode, we have two experts break it down for you. Find out what you need to know about as we parse the PDGM ch...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 19, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: J.D. Gray Tags: Health Care Podcast Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Cognitive Rehabilitation dementia Dysphagia Swallowing Disorders Source Type: blogs
Everyday Ethics: State Licensing and Practicing Speech-Language Pathology in Schools
I am a school-based SLP and I’ve practiced for more than 20 years in my district. Yesterday I received an email from the central office telling me that my SLP license expired 12 years ago. No one—not my supervisor, not the principal, not the central office—ever told me my SLP license had expired. I never once received a renewal notice about it, either! What should I do?
Unfortunately, ASHA’s ethics department hears about school-based speech-language pathologists letting state licenses expire—often inadvertently—quite frequently, as the maze of credentialing requirements becomes more and more challenging to nav...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 18, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Donna Euben Tags: Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Professional Development Source Type: blogs
Seasonal Safe Listening: Help Educate Families With Ready-to-Use ASHA Resources
‘Tis the Season for Hearing Protection!
Black Friday and Cyber Monday might have come and gone, but the holiday shopping season is still in full swing. And holiday parties, concerts, and other celebrations are just beginning.
While the season brings much welcome revelry, it also brings a lot of noise. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates around 1.1 billion young people globally risk hearing loss because of unsafe listening to devices and exposure to excessive noise in leisure settings. So what better time for audiologists and speech-language pathologists to educate on safe listening—raising their own profile ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 16, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Francine Pierson Tags: Advocacy Audiology Events Health Care News Private Practice Schools Slider Hearing Assistive Technology hearing loss Source Type: blogs
Bill to Expand Medicare Audiology Coverage Passes House
The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3 (the Lower Drug Costs Now Act) yesterday, boosting ASHA’s efforts to increase Medicare beneficiaries’ access to hearing-related services provided by audiologists.
Included in this bill is Section 602, “Providing Coverage for Hearing Care under the Medicare Program” (pg. 169). Section 602 adds new hearing benefits, including hearing aids, for Medicare beneficiaries with severe to profound hearing loss.
H.R. 3 includes many of the provisions supported by ASHA and other hearing-related organizations. Specifically, Section 602 of H.R. 3 would allow audiologists to...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 13, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Jillian Kornak Tags: Advocacy Audiology Health Care News Slider audiologist federal policy hearing health care medicare Source Type: blogs
Just How Long Ago Did Adam Eat that Apple?
In thinking about how language might have begun, one of the tempting details of the human vocal system has been the “laryngeal descent.” The larynx (aka, the voice box or the “Adam’s apple”) moved a bit down the throat. This anatomical detail was long thought to be exclusive to humans and was also believed to be important in producing certain acoustic distinctions between vowels, so that English speaker s can saypoke orpuke without causing confusion. As the descent appears to have been only 200,000 years old, it seemed that the descent might have had something to do with the introduction of speech, which many peo...
Source: Babel's Dawn - December 11, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Blair Source Type: blogs
Exploring Use of Hippotherapy as a Treatment Tool
Hippotherapy (hippo is Greek for horse) continues to gain recognition in our profession, but several misconceptions exist about this approach used by speech-language pathologists and other clinicians. Hippotherapy is a treatment tool—it is not a type of treatment. Compare it to using a swing or ball or other similar tool in sessions.
Also used by occupational therapists and physical therapists, the tool involves placing clients on horses while providing intervention. The approach aims to engage sensory, neuromotor, and cognitive systems to enhance outcomes, according to the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA). A numb...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 11, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Ruth Dismuke-Blakely Tags: Health Care Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Feeding Disorders Language Disorders Speech Disorders Swallowing Disorders Voice Disorders Source Type: blogs
Change Is Coming to Medicare Home Health. Should I Be Worried?
A new Medicare home health payment system that takes effect Jan. 1, 2020, reimburses for care based on patient characteristics, rather than on the number of therapy minutes the patient needs.
The new system, known as the Patient-Driven Grouping Model (PDGM), will likely affect the amount of speech-language treatment a beneficiary receives. It will also lead to changes in the ways speech-language pathologists demonstrate their value in this setting, their roles and responsibilities, and, in some cases, staffing levels.
PDGM payment is based on:
Source of admission (community or institutional).
Lower payment for the second ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 9, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Sarah Warren Tags: Audiology Health Care Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Dysphagia Source Type: blogs
ASHA Voices: The Changing Work World: With New Tech, A Growing Need for Soft Skills
On this episode of the podcast, we’re looking at the future…
In collaboration with the ASHA Leader magazine, we’re examining how work is evolving in the professions of audiology and speech-language-pathology.
Can how you treat your clients and colleagues make you stand out in a crowd? As increasing automation affects how people work, we discuss the importance and application of soft skills with emotional intelligence expert Kari Knutson.
Also, technology makes it easier to connect with clients and students from afar. We talk telepractice with speech-language pathologist Tracy Sippl of S&L Teletherapy Con...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 5, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: J.D. Gray Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care Podcast Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Professional Development Source Type: blogs
Vocational Skills for Students With Communication Disorders
We constantly communicate while we’re at work. We greet co-workers on the way into work. We chat at lunch with people about our favorite shows and weekend plans. Communication in the workplace, no matter how short or how long, is an essential part of how we’re perceived and how we participate as a professional team member. It’s an example of a “soft skill” that contributes to job success.
These vocational soft skills can present challenges for older students with communication disorders who are seeking meaningful and competitive employment.
Work: Only Its Name Will Stay the Same
What’s So Hard Abo...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 4, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Rosemarie Griffin Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder Language Disorders social skills Source Type: blogs
Attend ASHA ’ s 2019 Schools Virtual Town Hall on Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining School-Based SLPs
Join a conversation about how to attract, prepare, and retain school-based speech-language pathologists in a free virtual Town Hall meeting on Monday, Dec. 9, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. EST. Attending the Town Hall makes you eligible for 0.15 ASHA continuing education units.
In response to concerns from members and administrators around the country about the need to expand the school-based workforce, the ASHA School Team recruited a group of top-level panelists to provide innovative solutions and success stories on how to attract, prepare, and retain school-based SLPs .
Judy Montgomery will moderate the panel discussion. Montgo...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - December 2, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Stacey Glasgow Tags: Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Advocacy Source Type: blogs
When Every ADHD-Friendly Organizing Tool and Trick You ’ve Tried Hasn’t Worked
You feel like you’ve tried every technique, tool, and trick to get organized. But nothing seems to work. Tasks still go unfinished, and you still find yourself frustrated and stressed out.
The problem?
Maybe your systems have simply lost their spark. “The ADHD brain likes novelty,” according to Barb Hubbard, M. Ed, AAC, an ADHD specialist and life strategies coach. “So, when you find a system that works, expect the newness to wear off after a while. Know that it’s OK to change systems often or make small changes that allow you to feel like it’s new again.”
Maybe you’re fixated on perfection. “When you set...
Source: World of Psychology - November 30, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Tags: ADHD and ADD Disorders General Industrial and Workplace Self-Help Success & Achievement Adult Attention Deficit Meditation routine Source Type: blogs
7 Tips to Encourage Preliteracy Skills in Preschoolers
All SLPs can identify at least one child who immediately gets up and runs away as soon as they see a storybook come out. As we head into the hectic holiday season, it can spark your students’ interest—and help us stay motivated until the break—to try something easy and new.
These seven strategies work well for me to encourage preliteracy skills in the preschool population.
Who wouldn’t naturally enjoy a cuddly little preschooler sitting in our lap while we read, or maybe face-to-face as they would during circle time? Instead, try placing the child in a chair or on the couch while you sit on the floor. This puts yo...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - November 27, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Klaire Brumbaugh Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Early Intervention Language Disorders Source Type: blogs
Find Out What Convention-Goers Will Put Into Practice Today
If you didn’t make it to ASHA’s 2019 Convention in Orlando—or if you came but couldn’t make it to every session you wanted to attend—find out what you missed. As we scouted for future article ideas, Leader editors asked ASHA members what they’ll take into their practice, classroom, or health care setting when they get home.
Whether you’re a student or experienced clinician, find out what insights from your peers can work for you, too.
► “Right away, I will start stepping back and taking time to appreciate what these children go through,” said Catherine Cotton. The SLP listened carefully to multipl...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - November 25, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Shelley D. Hutchins Tags: Audiology Events Slider Speech-Language Pathology ASHA Convention Autism Spectrum Disorder Health Care Hearing Assistive Technology hearing loss Language Disorders Schools social skills Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs
A Short Ride in a Fast Machine
There ’s a dream I’ve had repeatedly in my life, including quite recently. In this dream, I am driving down a long, remote West Texas road at high speed, with no other cars around me. I’m going fast, in that way you hurtle forward on a desert highway when the perspective tricks you into picking what feels like leisurely pace until you look down and you’re doing ninety miles per hour. The sun is setting, the sky exploding in reds and oranges and a deepening purple.Suddenly, without warning or drama, the wheel comes off in my hand. I ’m holding it, gripped with panic, as the car continues down the road. I hit the b...
Source: Schuyler's Monster: The Blog - November 24, 2019 Category: Disability Authors: Rob Source Type: blogs
Overheard at Convention: See Parents ’ Stress, Avoid Joint Tenancy, Embrace Chatbots
So many sessions at the ASHA Convention—2,500 at least. And all of them occurring over only three days. All you can do is get to as many of them as you can, absorbing the knowledge and new learning like it’s an all-nighter study session back in college.
Along the way, there are those nuggets you hear. Those things presenters and people in the audience say that all-of-a-sudden shift your thinking, make you want to tweak your practice, start a new program, or open a whole different research inquiry. Here’s a sampling of some of those brain bites heard by this reporter.
On why it’s key to incorporate speech-language t...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - November 24, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Bridget Murray Law Tags: Audiology Speech-Language Pathology Uncategorized ASHA Convention Practice Management Source Type: blogs
