Why isn ASHA moving toward adding time units?
Please be aware that ASHA representatives requested time units be added to the speech-language treatment procedure descriptor in 1994 but the request was not accepted by the American Medical Association’s (AMA) CPT Editorial Panel. The Panel noted that “time” was already factored into the formula that values the procedure. At the present time, adding time units is a lengthy multi-step process and has the potential of yielding unfavorable results. For example, if time units were added to the descriptor, the procedure would be “re-valued” and, as such, an even lower reimbursement rate could be assigned. This possibility exists each time a procedure is redefined. The Medicare formula for determining reimbursement for these codes is undergoing examination and deals with a concept called physician work. At the present time, the physician work component adds value to 92507. Any revision of the procedure descriptor alone would beg the question, “What does a physician do during these treatment
