LCD L34429: Outpatient Speech Language Pathology

Speech Language Pathology services are those services necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of speech, language and cognitive communication disorders which result in communication disabilities. Speech Language Pathology also includes evaluation and treatment of swallowing.

Speech Language Pathology services are part of a constellation of skilled services as described by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet-Only Manual, Pub. 100-02, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 7, §40.2.3 . Acquired etiologies include but are not limited to stroke, brain tumor, traumatic brain, anoxic or toxic encephalopathy, and nondegenerative and degenerative neurologic diseases (including the dementias). Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) use the clinical history, cognitive/language examination and a variety of evaluations to characterize individuals with impairments, activity limitations, disabilities and participation restrictions. Impairments, functional limitations and disabilities thus identified are then addressed by the design and implementation of therapeutic intervention tailored to the specific needs of the individual patient. The specific interventions most commonly utilized are tasks/exercises to improve, maintain, train or retrain speech/language, cognitive/memory skills, swallowing skills and overall communication skills; either verbal or non-verbal so the individual can communicate and function as effectively as possible with daily activities. In order to facilitate increased participation in life, interventions may also include individualized communication partner training and education in order to help the individual achieve relevant personal goals appropriate to his or her cultural and/or language community.

For outpatient settings, references to "physicians" throughout this policy include the following non-physician practitioners (NPPs): nurse practitioners (NPs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) and physician assistants (PAs). Such NPPs may certify, order and establish the plan of care for Speech Language Pathology and dysphagia services by SLPs as authorized by State law.

The SLP assesses a patient and develops a plan for treatment as described by CMS Internet-Only Manual, Pub. 100-02, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, §230.3 .

Restorative/Rehabilitative therapy

Restorative / Rehabilitative therapy is intended for patients for whom the goal of therapy is to reverse some loss of function as described in CMS Internet-Only Manual Pub. 100-02, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, §220.2 .

Maintenance therapy

Maintenance therapy is intended for patients for whom the goal of treatment is to slow or prevent deterioration in function as described in CMS Internet-Only Manual Pub. 100-02, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, §220.2 .

Evaluation/Re-evaluation

Evaluation is a comprehensive service that requires professional skills to make clinical judgments about conditions for which services are indicated based on objective measurements and subjective evaluations of patient's performance and functional abilities. Evaluation is warranted, e.g., for a new diagnosis or when a condition is treated in a new provider setting. These evaluative judgments are essential to development of the plan of care (POC), including goals and the selection of interventions. The time spent in the evaluation does not also count as treatment time.

Re-evaluation is periodically indicated during an episode of care when the professional assessment of a clinician indicates a significant improvement, decline, or change in the patient's condition or functional status that was not anticipated in the POC. Some regulations and State Practice Acts require re-evaluation at specific intervals. A re-evaluation is focused on evaluation of progress toward current goals and making a professional judgment about continued care, modifying goals and/or treatment or terminating services. Re-evaluation requires the same professional skills as an evaluation.

1. Laryngoscopy, flexible or rigid telescopic, with stroboscopy

Flexible nasoendoscopy or rigid oral endoscopy is performed using a strobe light correlated to voice fold vibration, which permits vocal tract structures to be visualized in an apparent slow-motion format in order to assess the effect of pathology on the process of voicing and to determine appropriate therapy strategies.

2 . Modification or training in use of voice prosthetic

Modifications in voice prosthetic to supplement oral speech would be appropriate and should be carried out by a SLP. The patient is seen for sizing, fitting, placement or replacement and training of the voice prosthetic.

3. Treatment of speech, language, voice, communication, and/or auditory processing disorder; individual

Speech/hearing therapy is the treatment/intervention, (e.g., prevention, restoration, amelioration, and compensation) and follow-up service for disorders of speech, articulation, fluency, voice, and language skills as well as for impairments of cognition, language and pragmatics found in cognitive communication disorders.

These services may include:

a. Providing consultation, counseling, and making referrals when appropriate;

b. Providing education, training and support to family members/caregivers and other communication partners of individuals with speech, voice, language, fluency, hearing, cognitive communication disorders and swallowing disorders;

c. Developing and establishing effective augmentative and alternative communication techniques and strategies, including selecting, prescribing and dispensing of aids and devices as identified by State Practice Acts and training individuals, their family members/caregivers, and other communication partners in their use;

d. Selecting, fitting, and establishing effective use of appropriate prosthetic/adaptive devices for speaking;

e. Providing audiologic rehabilitation, that is a facilitative process that provides intervention to address the impairments, activity limitations, participation restrictions and possible environmental and personal factors that may affect the communication, functional health, and well-being of persons with hearing impairment or by others who participate with them in those activities, including related counseling services to individuals with hearing loss and to their family members/caregivers, and /or;

f. Providing interventions for individuals with central auditory processing disorders.

Treatment may include individualized communication/ partner education and training appropriate to the individual’s cultural and language community.

Modifications in voice prosthetic to supplement oral speech would be appropriate and should be carried out by a SLP. The patient is seen for sizing, fitting, placement or replacement and training of the voice prosthetic.

4. Treatment of speech, language, voice, communication, and/or auditory processing disorder; group, 2 or more individuals

A group for the purpose of performing group therapy will be defined as:

a. Two or more patients per therapy receiving active therapy but not 1-on-1 treatment, and;

b. The patients may be performing the same therapy or a different therapy but the SLP is instructing all the patients in the group.

5. Nasopharyngoscopy with endoscope (separate procedure)

Nasopharyngoscopy with endoscope is the visualization of the nasopharynx and vocal tract during speech production with an endoscope to assess and treat patients with resonance and/or aeromechanical disorders.

6. Nasal Function Studies

Nasometry assessment is an instrumental assessment of resonance. This assessment provides numbers that represent a ratio between oral resonance and nasal resonance during production of specific syllables, phrases, and reading passages. Normative data is available so that a patient's scores can be interpreted relative to normal. Nasometry helps quantify hypernasality and hyponasality. It also provides a baseline for measuring change following management-therapeutic or surgical.

7. Laryngeal function studies

Laryngeal function studies are the acoustic and aerodynamic measures used to evaluate vocal function.

8. Evaluation of speech fluency

This evaluation is the identification, assessment, and diagnosis of the following disorders:

- Fluency (e.g., stuttering, cluttering)

9. Evaluation of speech sound production

This evaluation is the identification, assessment, and diagnosis of the following disorders:

- Speech sound production (e.g., articulation, phonological process, apraxia, dysarthria)

10. Evaluation of speech sound production with evaluation of language comprehension and expression

This evaluation is the identification, assessment, and diagnosis of the following disorders:

- Speech/sound production (e.g., articulation, phonological process, apraxia, dysarthria)

- Language skills (e.g., morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics; also including disorders of receptive and expressive communication in oral, written, graphic, and manual modalities)

11. Behavioral and qualitative analysis of voice and resonance

This evaluation is the identification, assessment, and diagnosis of the following disorders:

- Voice and resonance disorders (e.g., dysphonia, aphonia, laryngospasm, dystonia, hypernasality, hyponasality)

12. Treatment of swallowing dysfunction and/or oral function for feeding

Treatment of swallowing dysfunction involves the treatment for impairments and/or functional limitations of mastication (i.e., chewing), and/or swallowing (including preparatory, oral, and pharyngeal phases). Swallowing or oral function therapy may also involve indirect treatment to include recommendations regarding therapeutic diet, compensatory strategies/techniques and instructions to facilitate swallowing.

13. Evaluation for use and/or fitting of voice prosthetic device to supplement oral speech

The patient is evaluated for a voice prosthetic. The patient's ability to perform the mechanics necessary to provide voice, care and cleaning of the unit are evaluated, as well as the patient's preference for the unit (examples of voice prosthetics are tracheoesophageal valves, electrolarynges, speaking valves, and voice amplifiers).

Some of these devices are directly attached to the patient and some are not. They amplify a weak or inaudible voice and supply voice for a non-verbal patient. The voice prosthetic allows the patient to use his own vocal production to communicate to the other people.

14. Evaluation for prescription of non-speech-generating augmentative and alternative communication device, face-to-face with the patient; first hour; Each additional 30 minutes

Evaluation of patients who are non-verbal or who do not have the capacity for verbal communication, that may need augmented communication devices for communication purposes. Augmented communication devices may include the use of a computer device, book communication, pad/writing tools, etc.

15. Therapeutic service(s) for the use of non-speech generating device (SGD), including programming and modification

Services to provide treatment of patients who are non-verbal or who do not have the capacity for verbal communication, that may need augmented communication devices for communication purposes. Augmented communication devices may include the use of a computer device, book communication, pad/writing tools, etc.

16. Evaluation for prescription for speech-generating augmentative and alternating communication device, face-to-face with the patient; first hour; Each additional 30 minutes

Evaluation of a patient for prescription of SGDs includes evaluation of language comprehension and production across modalities: written, spoken, and gestural. This may also include evaluation of motor skills and nonverbal communication strategies (e.g., words, pictures, and vocalizations). Evaluation includes the ability to operate and effectively use a SGD or aid. Prior to the delivery of the SGD, the patient has had a formal evaluation of their cognitive and communication abilities by a SLP.

17. Re-evaluation of a patient using SGDs

Re-evaluation of the patient using SGDs or aids to supplement oral speech, assess the need for continued use or identify the need for changes in objectives.

18. Therapeutic services for the use of SGD, including programming and modification

Patient adaptation and training for use of SGDs includes the development of operational competence in using a SGD or aids to include customizing the features of the device to meet the specific communication needs of each patient and providing opportunities for developing skill in all aspects of device use.

19. Evaluation of oral and pharyngeal swallowing function

Clinical evaluation of swallowing function is the evaluation of oropharyngeal swallowing dysfunction including the phases of oral preparatory, oral/voluntary and pharyngeal in reference to problems in the oral cavity and pharynx.

The bedside clinical examination may include:

a. History of patient's disorder and awareness of swallowing disorder, and indications of localization and nature of disorder

b. Medical status including nutritional and respiratory status

c. Oral structures (lips, tongue, jaw, hard, and soft palate, oral pharynx, teeth, mucosa)

d. Pharyngeal function; swallow initiation; impression of signs of aspiration such as coughing or wet-gurgly voice

e. Laryngeal function; laryngeal elevation during swallow; coordination of respiration and swallowing; airway protection

f. Oral bolus manipulation and transport through pharyngeal and upper esophagus

g. Ability to follow directions (alertness)

h. Interventions used to facilitate safe swallow (compensatory strategies such as chin tuck, dietary changes, etc.)

The clinical examination can be divided into 2 phases:

a. The pre-swallowing assessment/preparatory examination with no swallow, and;

b. The initial swallow examination with actual swallow while physiology is observed.

Note: Based on the findings of the clinical evaluation, an instrumental examination may or may not be recommended. Despite positive clinical findings there are times when an instrumental examination may not be indicated (e.g., the patient is too medically unstable to tolerate a procedure, the patient is unable to cooperate or participate in an instrumental exam; in the SLPs judgment, the instrumental exam would not change the clinical management of the patient). In addition, because of the documented limitations of the clinical evaluation of swallowing, there may be scenarios where despite a negative clinical examination an instrumental examination may still be indicated. In these cases, information supporting the medical necessity of the instrumental examination should be documented in the medical records.

20. Motion fluoroscopic evaluation of swallowing function by cine or video recording

Evaluation of swallowing involving swallowing of radio-opaque materials is the evaluation of oropharyngeal and upper digestive swallowing dysfunction including bolus coordination and transport during deglutition, airway protection, the benefit of compensatory strategies and effective swallowing. The SLP must be assured that the patient is alert and has the ability to follow directions.

Guidance for the appropriate supervision of this study is given in the CMS Internet-Only Manual, Pub. 100-02, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, §230.3 .

Note: Diagnostic radiographic studies are recommended when results of the bedside or clinical evaluation are inconclusive or suggest dysphagia and/or aspiration.

21. Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing by cine or video recording

An endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) involves placement of a flexible endoscope transnasally to the hypopharynx. The procedure permits direct visualization of anatomy as well as an assessment of amplitude, speed/briskness, and symmetry of movement of the velopharyngeal sphincter, base of tongue, pharynx, and larynx. Sensation is assessed by noting the reaction of the patient to the presence of the endoscope. Findings include briskness of swallow initiation, timing of bolus flow and swallow initiation, adequacy of bolus driving/clearing forces, adequacy of velar and laryngeal valving forces, penetration and/or aspiration before or after the swallow, and presence of hypopharyngeal reflux.

The skills and competencies required of clinicians providing this service are described in the CMS Internet-Only Manual, Pub. 100-02, Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, §230.3 .

22. Flexible endoscopic evaluation, laryngeal sensory testing by cine or video recording

An endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensory testing is the performance of a FEES with the incorporation of sensory testing. The sensory evaluation is completed by delivering pulses of air at sequential pressures to elicit the laryngeal adductor reflex. A sensory threshold is thus established.

Motor evaluation is completed by giving various food items with different consistencies while factors such as oral transit time, inhibition of swallowing, laryngeal elevation, spillage, residue, condition of swallow, laryngeal closure, reflux, aspiration, and ability to clear residue are monitored. The entire procedure may be done at bedside. The use of anesthesia may interfere with the sensory test and is usually not indicated.

Note: Other instrumental assessments may be indicated to study swallowing. The appropriateness of the assessment procedure will be based on the nature of the disorder and standard of practice.

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