[DYSPHAGIA] SLP Charges

[jbrown@Asha.org (Janet Brown)]

Jeff, 
I wanted to make you and other members aware of recent changes in coding cognitive-communication treatment.  As reported in an ASHA Leader earlier this year, HCFA program memorandum AB-00-14 states "for cognitive speech therapy, a speech and language pathologist could use either code 92507 or 97770, but not both for the same treatment."  The program memorandum is available at: www.hcfa.gov/pubforms/transmit/pmemos.htm

For further information about coding, contact Mark Kander at mkander@asha.org or Mark Hobratschk (mhobratschk@asha.org).

Janet

Janet Brown, MA, CCC-SLP
Associate Director
Health Care Services
ASHA
10801 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
301-897-0136
800-498-2071 x 4136
Fax: 301-897-7354
Email: jbrown@asha.org

>>> "Jeffrey Lewis" <Cslewis@isugw.indstate.edu> 10/05/00 11:36AM >>>
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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