Healthcare Services

HEALTHCARE SERVICES COMMITTEE

Let the Healthcare Services Committee hear from you. Complete a Survey today!

Healthcare Services Committee Members

Donna Fitzgerald-DeJean, MA, CCC-SLP

Contact: fitzinfl@gate.net

Hometown: Baton Rouge

Position: Director of Healthcare Services

Setting: Rehab Consultant- PM&R; fulltime PhD student at LSU

Specialty/Certification: Reimbursement, Quality Standards, and Documentation (especially Medicare).

Advocacy: Pt coverage via documentation especially for chronic adult neurological conditions; extremely concerned

 that we are reimbursed fairly; for instance, “OT coverage has become tremendously more stable

over the last 30 yrs, while we've struggled to keep/expand our status. Becoming independent providers is

as essential to our field as advocating for individual and groups of patients.”

State needs: “I would like to see La Private Practitioners and Medical SLPs develop a strong

advocacy voice to systematically improve coverage for patients and fair, timely reimbursement for

SLP and AUDs.  I want to make sure that La Private Practitioners and Medical SLPs CE needs are met.

PLEASE COMPLETE SURVEY ON WEBSITE-WE NEED YOUR INPUT!”

Current research: Donna is working with Scott Rubin, PhD (LSUHSC, NO) and Jeanne Fisher, MA, CCC/SLP

LSU) on Environmental Symbol Recognition in Brain Damaged Adults; Efficacy of Group Treatment

combining patients with CVA and TBI; and Environmental Symbol Recognition Training.

Evidenced based practice concerns: SLP's ability to access studies they need to adequately

advocate for their patients, as well as stronger research findings to reverse the insurance trends to

continually limit treatment.

Denise Dugas Taylor, CCC-SLP

Contact: commther@bayou.com

Hometown: Monroe

Position: Owner, Communication Therapy

Setting: Private Practice

Specialty areas: dyslexia, language, voice, and dysphagia

Advocacy: LSHA's - PAC I: lend advocacy to legislative issues.  ASHA - STAR committee

assisting in advocacy for insurance reimbursement for speech pathology and audiology services;  past LSHA President.

State needs: “There is a significant need for funding pubic school therapists.  Insurance carriers

in this state need to be informed of the consumer's medical need for speech pathology and

audiology services without the arbitrary 20 or 40 visit annual limits. Insurance companies need to

be informed of the particular need for coverage of voice problems in high-risk populations such as

teachers.  On a national level speech pathologists need to be recognized as independent providers

for Medicare.”

Sandy Aguillard, CCC-SLP

Contact: smacja@cox.net

Hometown: Lafayette

Position: Owner, Aguillard and Associates, LLC: Speech Language Consulting Services

Setting: Early Steps; Home Health; PRN Hospital

Specialty/Certification: Dysphagia, Early childhood, Cognition, Rehab

Advocacy: Patient reimbursement, finding training for billing and how to obtain reimbursement

Jenifer Juenglin-Sudkamp, CCC-SLP

Setting: Hospital Inpatient Rehab
Speciality/Certification: VitalStim certified
Evidenced based practice concerns: Cognitive Retraining

Annemarie B. Clancy, CCC-SLP

Contact: annemarie.clancy@thibodaux.com

Hometown: Thibodaux

Position: Speech-Language Pathologist

Setting: Outpatient, Rehabilitation Center of Thibodaux Regional Medical Center

Speciality/Certification: Certified Brain Injury Specialist/Trainer through the American

Academy for the Certification of Brain Injury Specialists, member of the Board of

Governors of the American Academy for the Certification of Brain Injury Specialists,

member of the Brain Injury Association of America.

Community Involvement: Member of the Lafourche Mayor’s Committee on Disability

Issues, Coordinator for the Brain Injury Education Support Group, Thibodaux, LA., Member

of the Louisiana Health Force Commission- Allied Health subgroup representing LSHA.

Advocacy: “ I focus on community reintegration/resources for persons with brain injury.”

Evidenced based practice concerns: Awareness and implementation

Leigh Anne Baker, CCC-SLP

Contact: leighannebaker@hotmail.com

Hometown: Baton Rouge

Position: Speech-Language Pathologist

Setting: Outpatient, Pediatric Rehabilitation Center, Baton Rouge General Medical Center

Speciality/Certification: ASHA certification, LANGUAGE! 3-day workshop, pediatric

speech, language, feeding and voice disorders.

Community Involvement: President of the Baton Rouge Area Speech-Language Pathologists.

Advocacy: Multicultural issues, academic success of at-risk students

Evidenced based practice concerns: Awareness and implementation of speech and

language programs to promote academic success

Jeanne Fisher, CCC-SLP

Latest News for Private Practitioners and Medical SLPs

Recent Workshop: We were very fortunate to not only have Mark Kander present Advocating and Negotiating with Private Health Plans at the LSHA conference in May, but ASHA donated 50 sets of workbooks and handouts for us to provide it to practitioners who were unable to attend. This workshop was re-presented by Donna Fitzgerald-DeJean, who has many years experience in 3rd party reimbursement, to 21 participants on October 9th in Baton Rouge. The favorite activity of the 21 SLPs, audiologists and medical billing reps in attendance appeared to be the individual issue/problem solving breakout in which Donna was joined in facilitation by committee members: Mell Schexnaidre, Annemarie Clancy, and Pam Terrell.

Committee: We are extremely fortunate to have individuals who were appointed prior to this year continuing and a number of new members. This extremely dynamic, experienced group represents strong group including previous STAR, MIC reps, with balance geographically and by sector including:

• Baton Rouge: Jeanne Fisher (University), Leigh Anne Baker (Hospital), Mell Schexnaidre (Hospital), Pam Terrell (Hospital).

• Destrahan/Thibodaux-Annemarie Clancy (Hospital)

• Iota-Barbara Dodge (DHH)

• Lafayette-Sandra Aguillard (Private Practice)

• LaPlace-Jennifer Sudkamp (Hospital)

• Metairie-Mary McVay (Private Practice)

• Monroe-Denise Taylor (Private Practice)

• Ruston-Jerrilyn Frazier (Private Practice)

Please note that some hospitals have extended continuums of care with inpatient/outpatient services and long term care, while some private practitioners service numerous settings such as Early Steps, home health, SNF, and clinic.

Committee Resources: One of the strongest benefits to the committee is our opportunity to serve on ASHA and State committees. The most dynamic has been the ASHA STARS, facilitated by Jan Ozga at ASHA in which Denise Taylor has been a very active participant. The group is currently studying Bargaining for Advantage: negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People by G. Richard Shell. Additionally, this group has an extremely active email committee. When reimbursement issues are called to the attention of our committee, we can channel them to Denise, our STAR rep, and if we cannot come up with a viable potential solution, then, she can broadcast the issue to this group for input and assistance.

The MICS Network which is chaired by Mark Kander of ASHA does not seem to the set scheduled meetings of the STARS, but, makes more accessible to us Steve White and Mark's intermediary experience. Jerrilyn Frazier, our dually certified member, serves on this committee.

Our third resource is the La. Allied Health Workforce. Mell Schexnaidre recently turned over this committee to Annemarie Clancy (so that Mell can focus more specifically with us on patient reimbursement). Currently, this committee is struggling with healthcare funding and certification issues post Katrina and Rita. While SLP/Aud issues are not currently on the table, it is important that committee activity be closely monitored.

Needs Assessment: Our survey process to ensure that our committee is focused on the priorities of our constituents continues. To date, we have input from 29 PrivPrac/Med SLP from: hospital/clinic to private practitioners with numerous insurance contacts to private practitioners exclusively in home health to university supervisors training students in. This represents only 11% of our 262 members so if you have not had a chance to provide your input, it is available on the LSHA website. We would love to hear from you!!!

Thanks in advance for your interest and participation!

Donna M. Fitzgerald-DeJean, Director of Health Care Services

Helpful Health Care Services Links and forms

LINKS

ASHA Legislative Action Assistance

Forms

Documentation Software for SLPs

Scott Rubin - Handouts from 2007 Convention:

TBI Adult

TBI Child