Federal Advocacy

Urge Congress to Stop Scheduled 10% Cut to Medicare Payment Rates

Please contact your federal legislators this week and urge them to pass a Medicare package that halts a 10% scheduled reduction on January 1, 2008 to the Medicare fee schedule. The reduction will impact all payment rates for all outpatient speech-language pathology and audiology services under the Medicare physician fee schedule. Talking points and draft emails are available at http://takeaction.asha.org .

On August 1, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a broad health care bill that, among other things, would halt the scheduled cuts to the Medicare fee schedule for two years and, instead, provide for a 0.5% positive update in 2008 and another 0.5% increase in 2009. Please urge your legislators to pass provisions like these before the end of the year.

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Mundinger, ASHA’s Director of Federal and Political Advocacy, at emundinger@asha.org

ASHA’s Advisory Council FAQs
Prepared by Governance Committee, ASHA

What is an advisory council?
An advisory council is a voluntary collection of individuals who are assembled to make recommendations and provide background for board decisions. 1

What is the Advisory Councils’ relationship to the Board of Directors?
ASHA’s single governing body is its Board of Directors (BOD). Per the ASHA Bylaws (section 4.1), the BOD actively promotes the objectives of the Association, operating in accordance with and administering and implementing the programs and policies established by the Bylaws and by the BOD.2 ASHA’s Speech- Language Pathology Advisory Council and Audiology Advisory Council serve in an advisory capacity to the BOD. Their role is to provide advice to the BOD about issues of interest to the Association. The opinions 1, 2Axelrod, N.E. (2004). Advisory Councils. Washington, DC: BoardSource. that the Advisory Councils provide to the BOD help the BOD make decisions about the Association. The responsibility for those decisions rests completely with the BOD.

Is an advisory council similar to a focus group?
Yes, ASHA’s Advisory Councils may be thought of as standing focus groups—where a group of individuals with common interests are brought together as a way to gain information about a specific or focused issue. Like focus groups, ASHA’s Advisory Councils can provide valuable information on how groups of people think or feel about a particular topic, provide a way to evaluate existing Association programs, and help improve the planning and design of new programs.

Why did ASHA establish advisory councils?
ASHA established two advisory councils to identify and discuss the critical and/or emergent issues of concern to Association members and to the two professions. The information and/or recommendations provided by the Advisory Councils are used by the BOD to help inform decisions regarding the programs and services that should be provided for members and supported by Association resources.

What are the specific responsibilities of ASHA’s Advisory Councils?
Per the 2007 Governance Restructure Plan (LC 1-2007), ASHA’s Advisory Councils are responsible for a) discussing and ranking issues of concern to members, b) advising the BOD on issues that the need to be considered as the Association engages in strategic or forward planning, c) providing advice to the BOD on issues that the BOD brings to the Advisory Councils, d) reviewing the approved Association budget and making recommendations for future programs and services that support ASHA’s Strategic Pathway to Excellence, e) participating in the formal peer review of all ASHA policy documents, and f) electing the Chair and Vice Chair for their respective councils, nine members to the Committee on Honors, six members to the Committee on Nominations and Elections, two members to the Financial Planning Board, and two members to the Government Relations and Public Policy Board.

What is the desired skill set of an Advisory Council member?
An Advisory Council member should demonstrate the ability to listen, analyze, think strategically and creatively, and work well with people individually and in a group. Ideally, a member is willing and able to consider multiple viewpoints about controversial issues. A member must have the willingness and ability to prepare for and attend annual meetings and engage effectively and responsibly in discussions in faceto- face and web-based environments – participation throughout the year is essential. In addition, a member should possess the ability and willingness to develop certain skills if one does not possess them, such as, learning more about the substantive program areas of the Association and issues identified by members, understanding financial statements, and learning to use the technology tools (e.g., web-based discussion forum, group email lists) that support full participation as an Advisory Council member.

What is the role of the leadership of the ASHA Advisory Councils?
Each council elects a Chair and Vice Chair, who are members of their council. In addition, the Chairs also serve on the BOD and provide a direct line of communication between the BOD and each Council. The Chair serves to facilitate the council’s ability to address its roles and responsibilities throughout the year. The Vice Chair provides support to the Chair and the council at the Chair’s request.

What can be done to ensure the effectiveness of an advisory council?
To be effective, it is essential that Advisory Council members have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and commit the time and attention necessary to fulfill these responsibilities. In turn, the Association must clearly articulate the specific purpose of the Advisory Councils.

One of the changes in the governance structure of ASHA is the move from an entity called Legislative Council to an entity called Advisory Council. And in ASHA’s case two Advisory Councils – one representing the field of Speech-Language Pathology and Speech Sciences and one representing the field of Audiology and Hearing Sciences. It’s a new concept for most of us who are not actively involved in development of organizational governing structures. The preceding FAQs were developed by ASHA in an effort to answer some of the questions being asked about this change and how it might unfold. Furthermore, it served as a springboard for the Advisory Councils at the Spring meeting, March 19-22, 2009, as each Advisory Council grappled with defining the “working” role of the Advisory Council (s) of ASHA. Each Advisory Council is comprised of 53 members, one representative elected from each state, Washington DC, the international community and NSSLA. For a day and a half we discussed our roles, what we needed from the National Office and the Executive Board (our elected officers) to accomplish our roles, trends on local, national and global levels, and what issues the membership has shared with us as it applies to our fields at large. While we continue to be elected by state, our discussions go far beyond state borders and encompass both national issues and global issues. For just as the economic situation of today affects us on a personal level, it impacts the profession and its professionals in a larger way.

In addition to the “think tank” work, both the Speech-Language Pathology AC member, Judith Bernier and the Audiology AC member, Sarah Poissant, along with Executive Board member, Thomas Hallahan, Vice-President for Governmental Relations and Policy and from “Massachusetts,” met with Legislative Aides of Senators Kennedy and Kerry as well as Representative John Tierney. The focus of those meetings was to bring to their attention the legislation that we, as professionals, feel is important to the practice of our disciplines and for the support or protection of the consumers of our services. We provided them with the basic premises of the legislation and information supporting the importance of the legislation including personal examples from our practices. The legislation we addressed included: repeal of the Medicare Outpatient Therapy Caps; Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit; inclusion of SLP and Audiologists among covered professionals for Medicare Telehealth Services; Direct Access to Audiologists; Student Loan Forgiveness, and continuation of funding for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention.

It is an interesting climate on Washington’s “Capitol Hill.” Health Care Reform is a big issue. Health Care is extremely fragmented legislatively. Massachusetts Senators Kennedy and Kerry and Representative Tierney’s aides were receptive to our arguments with the caveat that health care reform is imperative with a view of decreasing the fragmentation. This is a particular focus of Senator Kennedy’s office. So the bottom line is that it is important for each of us to let our legislators know that, as they endeavor to achieve a more cohesive and cost effective approach to health care, our issues need to be considered. We cannot stress the importance of your voice – you have a vote and choose whom you wish to support with it. You also know many people, both in your work and outside and they too have a vote. Advocate for yourselves and those you serve. Don’t be afraid to ask others to also voice their support of you and your work. ASHA has many resources – talking points, formatted letters, a system whereby you can send a letter to the Senators and your representative via email and experts in this area with whom you can talk about these issues. Contact ASHA’s Action Center (800-498-2071) to find out how you can advocate!

Thank you for this opportunity to serve you as members of your Advisory Councils. The Advisory Council’s work does not end with this Spring meeting. It is year round with use of internet communication, so keep in touch with us -

Judith Bernier – judithbernierslp@comcast.net
Sarah Poissant- spoissant@comdis.umass