Clinical Affairs News

 VP for Clinical Services, 
Carlotta Kimble, M.S., CCC-SLP

Dear MSHA Members,

To assist you with questions that you may have regarding Medicaid billing and reimbursement, we have included on our MSHA website a copy of the Medicaid Billing and Reimbursement Handout presented at the 2006 MSHA Convention. This handout may be helpful in providing you with some insight into common Medicare billing and reimbursement questions. We would stress, however, that this handout is merely a means to provide you with foundational information ONLY. Members and providers who have questions regarding Medicaid billing and reimbursement should continue to reference the bulletins and manuals that are provided for your information and education. 

I have enjoyed hearing from many of you regarding various issues in the clinical services realm. As a result of your inquiries, we have established a Frequently Asked Questions link for Clinical Services on the MSHA website. 2007 will be a busy year for the Clinical Issues and Multicultural Affairs Committees. A call for volunteers and recent reimbursement news items are included below.

Volunteer Requests

MSHA is continuing the Minority Student Leadership Program this year and is currently seeking volunteers to serve in the following roles: mentors for the Minority Student Leadership scholarship recipients, mentors for all Minority Student Leadership scholarship applicants, readers/judges for the student applications, and general committee members for other organizational components of the Minority Student Leadership Program. For more information or to express interest in any of the volunteer positions, please contact me via email at carliekimble@yahoo.com.

MSHA REIMBURSEMENT NEWS

Reimbursement Issues - Documentation Form

If you are a MSHA member and are having problems with healthcare coverage for speech-language pathology or audiology services and/or associated devices, such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, augmentative communication systems, etc., MSHA would like to hear about it. 

The Missouri Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Reimbursement Panel is comprised of speech-language pathology and audiology providers who are MSHA members.  The Reimbursement Panel is interested in collecting information about reimbursement problems facing MSHA members so that we might be able to develop advocacy strategies to address those issues. 

Click here to obtain a form to inform MSHA of your reimbursement problems.

NEWS

 MSHA has launched its first Reimbursement Initiative, made possible by the drive and determination of Jean Foster, ASHA Legislative Council Representative and the ASHA STAR (STate Advocates for Reimbursement) representative for the state of Missouri.  A Reimbursement Panel was formed under the Clinical Issues Committee. The panel will highlight reimbursement issues for the state and attempt to provide a central support network to offer solutions to MSHA members.

 The Reimbursement Panel for 2005-2006, made up of volunteers from the MSHA membership, consists of the following subcommittees:

 CONSUMER ADVOCACY subcommittee: The members of this group are responsible for making contacts and gathering testimonials from consumers who would be willing to testify to the benefits of speech pathology and audiology services. Letters of support and contacts will be maintained in a central database.

 HEALTH INSURANCE ADVOCACY subcommittee:  The members of this group are responsible for working to facilitate information between speech pathologists and audiologists and insurance companies across the state through ongoing relationships. Activities can also include working to standardize code numbers, reviewing insurance forms used by members, and informing insurance companies of all facets of speech pathology and audiology, including evaluation, treatment, and prevention. Members of this group will also work to obtain representation on insurance company and carrier boards, and maintain current information on changes from insurance companies that would affect MSHA members.

 LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY subcommittee: The members of this subcommittee are responsible for making contacts with legislators and informing them about all facets of speech pathology and audiology, including evaluation, treatment, and prevention. An additional goal of this group is to strive to make speech pathology and audiology visible professions in the legislative arena. These members will also be in contact with legislators to disseminate information to them regarding MSHA members’ concerns.

 These groups-Consumer Advocacy, Health Insurance Advocacy, and Legislative Advocacy will begin as “information gathering” only. The members of these groups will work to establish contacts and build databases of names, addresses, and phone numbers. The consumer advocacy group will also work to build a database of letters of support from consumers. The eventual goal is to achieve consistent on-going communication between these groups and their targets. 

 The entire reimbursement panel is working on MEMBER EDUCATION. The first goal for the Member Education Subcommittee is to hold at least one reimbursement seminar per year, which will be offered to MSHA members at a nominal fee with ASHA CEUs available. A reimbursement speaker has already been identified for the Reimbursement Seminar for 2006, which will be held in conjunction with the MSHA Fall Workshops in Columbia. Ken Ruder, Ph.D., an audiologist from Ohio, will be addressing reimbursement advocacy. He has been involved in reimbursement advocacy for his state association and with numerous campaigns for ASHA as an advisor and consultant.  Please mark your calendars for September 23, 2006 for this Saturday morning workshop.

 The second goal for Member Education is to schedule reimbursement speakers for the annual MSHA convention. Speakers have already been secured for the 2006 MSHA Convention and schedules are on the convention program, including Missouri Medicaid Speech Therapy & Audiology Services and The Grievance and Independent Review Process.

 The Reimbursement Panel will hold its next meeting from 4:45-5:45 at the 2006 MSHA Convention, with the location to be announced. This will be an open meeting following the second of the two scheduled reimbursement sessions. All interested MSHA members are invited to attend.

 To read more about MSHA’s Reimbursement Initiative, see Jean Foster’s article in the December 27, 2005 Issue of the ASHA Leader.