The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently made changes to their Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, which revises the definition of a "qualified speech-language pathologist (SLP)" as it relates to Medicare reimbursement.
In Texas, this change has potential impacts for Clinical Fellows (CFs), those who have an Intern in Speech-Language Pathology license, or those who employ individuals with an Intern in Speech-Language Pathology license and see Medicare patients.
As long as this ruling is in place, according to this updated definition, individuals with an Intern in Speech-Language Pathology license:
- Under Medicare Part B, cannot enroll as a Medicare provider or bill Medicare for the services they provide
Make Your Voice Heard to CMS
Please sign this petition by June 25 to join us in imploring CMS to revise its interpretation of the term "licensure" to include the provisional licensure states issue to new graduates in the process of completing their supervised clinical mentorship.
Sign the Petition
When Did This Change Occur?
The Medicare Learning Network (MLN) published an issue on May 29, 2025, noting this change and an effective date of April 18, 2025, with a Date of Change as May 23, 2025.
What Is Being Done?
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is actively advocating for a reversal of the policy and has published resources for those affected. ASHA is setting up a meeting with CMS to educate them on the background of Clinical Fellows . This is an evolving situation with new information coming out regularly. We'll continue to post updates to this page as we receive them.
Resources
Questions?
Please contact reimbursement@asha.org.