Videostroboscopy Supervision Rules Repealed by Medicare

The Medicare requirement, implemented on January 1, 2011, that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) using videostroboscopy (CPT 31579) and nasopharyngoscopy (CPT 92511) must have physician supervision, has been repealed, effective October 1, 2011.  On that date the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will no longer require that a supervising physician be in the room when SLPs are performing those procedures. Regional Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) may determine local criteria for supervision, however, because there will be no national supervision level. 

SLPs practicing in Illinois must continue to adhere to our state law specifying the training procedures and supervision requirements established in our Practice Act  for use of rigid and flexible endoscopes in various work settings. The Illinois training and supervision requirements for these endoscopic procedures may be found at http://www.idfpr.com/dpr/who/spch.asp.

For more information on this change in Medicare regulation, see the August 2, 2011 issue of The ASHA Leader. Specific questions regarding reimbursement issues with regional MACs may be sent via email to Mark Kander, ASHA’s Director of Health Care Regulatory Analysis at mkander@asha.org. General reimbursement questions may be sent to reimbursement@asha.org.