[DYSPHAGIA] SLP Charges

[Cslewis@isugw.indstate.edu (Jeffrey Lewis)]

Dear Lauren:

This is outside the purview of the topic of this listserve.  However, as we've been talking about coding issues, I'll address it.  

Do be careful when dealing with cognitive issues.  There is nothing in the regulations that allow the services of a speech-language pathologist's services to be compensable under Medicare System.  We can provide services for speech, language or dysphagia (w/ aural rehab being classified as a sp/lang path).  As we all know, cognition is inextricably linked with language.  As you may work on cognitive issues in therapy, they must, to qualify as compensable services, be couched as language services.  For years, I used the term "cognitive-linguistic" to describe the services.  When I changed intermediaries, I found that their reviewers had problems with that term.  I always described the services honestly and accurately in my notes.  However, I wrote my  modalities as auditory comprehension and verbal expression.  

>From the above, it should be clear that you must use our speech-language tx code for the service provided.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,



Jeffrey I. Lewis, Ph.D./CCC-SLP
Indiana State University
Dept. of Communication Disorders
Terre Haute, IN 47807

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