Managing Work Place Challenges in Health Care
SLPs working in health care settings may face requests from employers that may or may not be ethically and professionally appropriate. Common "employer demand" scenarios and related resources are listed below to help the SLP navigate the ethics of the situation.
Scenarios
Employer (or physician) requesting that the SLP see a patient that the SLP does not feel is appropriate for services or requesting higher frequency of services than the SLP feels is necessary.
- Autonomy of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
- Issues in Ethics: Prescription
- Issues in Ethics: Misrepresentation of Services for Insurance Reimbursement, Funding, or Private Payment
Employer requiring SLP to keep patient on caseload who is noncompliant or refuses treatment.
Employer setting productivity expectations that the SLP feels are too high to achieve or will compromise the quality of patient care.
Employer requesting that the SLP train or supervise another non-SLP professional in the delivery of speech, language, or swallowing treatment.
- Multiskilled Personnel Position Statement and Technical Report
- Educating Other Professionals about What SLPs Do
Employer asking SLP to perform tasks that the SLP feels may be outside her or his scope, such as taking blood pressures or completing intake forms.
- Multiskilled Personnel Position Statement and Technical Report
- FAQ on Scope of Practice (Question 1)
Additional Resources
- Compliance Reporting [PDF]
- "Medicare Fraud & Abuse: Prevention, Detection, and Reporting" fact sheet – revised [PDF]
- Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System
- Knowledge and Skills in Business Practices Needed by Speech-Language Pathologists in Health Care Settings
- Knowledge and Skills in Business Practices Needed by Speech-Language Pathologists Who Are Managers and Leaders in Health Care Organizations
- Special Interest Groups
