What General Rules Should a New SLP Follow When Performing His or Her First Medicare SGD Assessment?
SLPs who conduct assessments for Medicare recipients must follow the Medicare RMRP. Assessments for all other funding programs also should follow the RMRP, or the specific assessment criteria established by the funding program, where applicable. For Medicare recipients, there are no shortcuts in the assessment process, and there are no alternatives to conducting a complete assessment and preparing a complete report. Medicare has no length requirement or preference for how long SGD reports should be. Instead, Medicare demands that the reports be complete. A complete report is one that addresses all the topics identified in the RMRP. A complete report is a non-waivable, non-negotiable obligation on the part of the SLP. SLPs who fail to conform their assessments and reports for Medicare recipients to the requirements of the Medicare RMRP should expect to be told by an SGD supplier to edit, add to, or rewrite their report. And to keep editing, adding to, or rewriting it until it addresses
