Fix SLP: Advocacy & Accountability in Speech-Language Pathology

Hosted by Dr. Jeanette Benigas | SLP, Advocate, PhD

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118

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Fix SLP is an SLP Podcast by Jeanette Benigas, PhD, about advocacy, autonomy, and reform in Speech-Language Pathology. This show exposes credentialing gatekeeping, dismantles CCC requirements, and helps SLPs advocate for change. Each episode equips SLPs with tools to reclaim their profession. Subscribe now and join the movement transforming speech-language pathology. Follow @fix.slp on Instagram and TikTok. Visit fixslp.com.

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August 20, 20261 hr 9 min

It’s Time to SPEAK: Part 1 - Building the Data to Fight for SLP Reimbursement

SLPs have been screaming for a long time that reimbursement is too low, costs are rising, and access to speech-language pathology services is being threatened. But can we prove it with national data? In this episode, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, introduces The Speech Pathology Education, Advocacy and Knowledge (SPEAK) Project and its first major initiative: building a national economic dataset that shows what it actually costs to provide SLP services and turn those numbers into credible national evidence we can use to advocate directly with CMS during the current public comment period. Jeanette is joined by private practice owner Holly Ellis, MS/SLP, and CPA Cody Underwood to discuss how North Carolina built its own cost analysis, why independent financial analysis matters, and what the national SPEAK Project will measure, including CPT 92507, dysphagia and cognitive services, treatment time, payer mix, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, workforce pressures, waitlists, and access to care. The immediate goal: collect high-quality data from all 50 states (+ DC) and turn that evidence into meaningful advocacy. Give data. Give dollars. Or do both. Everything starts at speakproject.net . Get caught up, wherever you stream podcasts! #110: CPT 92507 Is Being Deleted? What Every SLP Must Know About the New Speech Therapy Codes #111: CPT 92507 Q&A for SLPs: Your Questions Answered #113: CPT 92507 Option B: This Is Our Week to Advocate #115: CMS's NEW Pediatric G Code Explained: What Every SLP Needs to Know #116: What the New Speech Therapy Codes Mean for Adult SLPs #117: The End of CPT 92507: Is Your SLP Documentation Ready? ✨ Grateful to Chomper Champs for bringing so much positivity and fun to the pediatric SLP space. Follow the link to order the 🦺 Fix SLP Construction Accessory Kit 🧰 , or bundle and save. Fix SLP receives 20% of every purchase, so it’s a win for everyone! ✨ 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here. 🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com. 🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work. 🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok , and YouTube . 🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content. 🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com. 🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

August 11, 20261 hr 1 min

The End of CPT 92507: Is Your SLP Documentation Ready?

92507 is changing, and SLP documentation will have to change with it. In this episode, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, is joined by adult and pediatric private practice owners Katie Brown, MA/SLP, and Emily Watkins, MCD/SLP, to talk about what the new code set could mean for documentation, billing, compliance, and audit risk across pediatric and adult settings. Katie and Emily share firsthand experiences with Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance audits, including what payers requested, what triggered the audits, and why documentation supporting medical necessity and skilled intervention matters. They also deliberate one of the biggest shifts ahead: moving from a catch-all code to multiple service-specific codes means SLPs will need to clearly support what they treated, why it required skilled intervention, and the time spent providing that treatment. The takeaway: do what you bill, bill what you do, and document what you do. Whether you’re a clinician, manager, or private practice owner, now is the time to understand the changes and prepare... before January. Resources Mentioned 👀 Check out Katie's SLPs Blueprint to Medicare Success and get $100 off with the code FixSLP 🎧 Previous episode with Emily Watkins: CMS's NEW Pediatric G Code Explained: What Every SLP Needs to Know 🎧 Previous episode with Katie Brown: What the New Speech Therapy Codes Mean for Adult SLPs 🎧 Previous episode with Katie Brown: Telehealth Coverage Expired: SLP Rules for Medicare Claims 🎧 Previous episode with Katie Brown: Telehealth Under Threat: Protecting Access for Adults and Families ▶️ Watch the Fixing the Coding Chaos series, or this episode on YouTube ✨ Grateful to Chomper Champs for bringing so much positivity and fun to the pediatric SLP space. Follow the link to order the 🦺 Fix SLP Construction Accessory Kit 🧰 , or bundle and save. Fix SLP receives 20% of every purchase, so it’s a win for everyone! ✨ 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here. 🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com. 🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work. 🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok , and YouTube . 🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content. 🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com. 🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

August 4, 20261 hr 22 min

What the New Speech Therapy Codes Mean for Adult SLPs

The new Medicare speech therapy CPT codes are coming, and adult SLPs need to prepare. In this episode, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, is joined by Katie Brown, SLP of Neuro Speech Solutions (@neurospeechsolutions), to discuss how the new code family replacing 92507 could impact adult speech-language pathology across Medicare Part B, skilled nursing, outpatient, home health, hospital outpatient, and private practice. They discuss how the new codes may affect reimbursement, scheduling, productivity, documentation, cognition treatment, Medicare Advantage, commercial insurance, and ethical billing. They also explore why accurate utilization data will be critical to future advocacy for higher reimbursement rates. Whether you own a private practice, work in a SNF, outpatient clinic, hospital, or even pediatrics, this conversation will help you understand what's changing, what questions remain unanswered, and how to start preparing now. Topics include: • The new adult SLP CPT codes • Replacing 92507 • Medicare Part B billing • Cognition reimbursement • Documentation changes • Productivity concerns • Private practice and SNF implications • Ethical billing and future advocacy Resources Mentioned 👀 Check out Katie's SLPs Blueprint to Medicare Success and get $100 off with the code FixSLP 🎧 Previous episode: CMS's NEW Pediatric G Code Explained: What Every SLP Needs to Know 🎧 Previous episode: New York Early Intervention in Crisis 🎧 Previous episode with Katie Brown: Telehealth Coverage Expired: SLP Rules for Medicare Claims 🎧 Previous episode with Katie Brown: Telehealth Under Threat: Protecting Access for Adults and Families ▶️ Watch the Fixing the Coding Chaos series, or this episode on YouTube ✨ Grateful to Chomper Champs for bringing so much positivity and fun to the pediatric SLP space. Follow the link to order the 🦺 Fix SLP Construction Accessory Kit 🧰 , or bundle and save. Fix SLP receives 20% of every purchase, so it’s a win for everyone! ✨ 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here. 🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com. 🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work. 🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok , and YouTube . 🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content. 🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com. 🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

July 23, 20261 hr 0 min

CMS's NEW Pediatric G Code Explained: What Every SLP Needs to Know

CMS surprised speech-language pathologists with a proposed pediatric G code, creating new questions about reimbursement, billing, and the future of pediatric speech therapy. In this episode, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, is joined by billing expert Rick Gawenda and pediatric private practice owner Emily Watkins, MCD/SLP, to break down what the proposed G code actually means, who it applies to, and why it matters far beyond Medicare. Topics include: • Who the proposed pediatric G code applies to • Why commercial insurance and Medicaid may choose different billing paths • Timed CPT codes vs. the proposed G code • How reimbursement could change for pediatric practices • Operational challenges for clinics and business owners • Why giving payers multiple billing options may create inconsistencies • The risks surrounding untimed codes and future payer audits • Why understanding RVUs and practice expense matters • What clinicians and practice owners should consider before submitting comments to CMS Whether you're an employee, private practice owner, school-based SLP, or administrator, these proposed coding changes have the potential to affect your reimbursement, documentation, scheduling, and future practice. This episode is designed to help you understand the proposal, not tell you what position to take, so you can make informed decisions on how to comment before the CMS comment period closes. ✨ Grateful to Chomper Champs for bringing so much positivity and fun to the pediatric SLP space. Follow the link to order the 🦺 Fix SLP Construction Accessory Kit 🧰 , or bundle and save. Fix SLP receives 20% of every purchase, so it’s a win for everyone! ✨ 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here. 🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com. 🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work. 🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok , and YouTube . 🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content. 🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com. 🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

May 14, 20261 hr 16 min

ASHA’s New Consumer Website Raises Big Questions for SLPs

ASHA launched a new consumer-facing website, and SLPs immediately started digging. In this episode, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, and Stephanie Feero, MS/SLP, unpack the newly rebranded Communication Health Support Association (CHSA), its connection to ASHA, and the financial and organizational questions surrounding the rollout. The conversation explores CHSA’s 70-year history, ASHA's evolving mission statements and strategic objectives, tax filings, membership positioning, ProFind listings, and the ongoing debate surrounding the CCC. Jeanette and Stephanie also examine public IRS Form 990 data, nonprofit structures, affiliate language, and the broader implications for clinicians and the future of the profession. This episode discusses publicly available documents, organizational timelines, and the growing questions many SLPs are now asking after discovering a consumer-facing association that has existed for decades with little public awareness, all mixed with a little sass and a few tin foil hat theories from Jeanette. ✨ Grateful to Chomper Champs for bringing so much positivity and fun to the pediatric SLP space. Follow the link to order the 🦺 Fix SLP Construction Accessory Kit 🧰 , or bundle and save. Fix SLP receives 20% of every purchase, so it’s a win for everyone! ✨ 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here. 🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com. 🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work. 🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok , and YouTube. 🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content. 🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com. 🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

April 28, 202648 min

CPT 92507 Option B: This Is Our Week to Advocate

CPT 92507 Option B is officially in front of the AMA Editorial Panel, and this is the week that decides what happens next. In this episode, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, sits down with a private practice owner of 44 years, Mary Billings, MS, CCC/SLP, who has seen Medicare cuts before, and is sounding the alarm again. What’s being proposed isn’t just a coding change. It has the potential to reshape how SLPs document, bill, and treat patients across every setting, including private practice, schools, hospitals, Medicaid, and Medicare. No one is exempt. You’ll hear exactly why the applicants submitted Option B, what’s at risk if SLPs stay silent, and why this moment is so rare. Opportunities like this don’t come around often, and once decisions are made, they can take decades to undo. If you care about your practice, your patients, or the future of this profession, this is the time to pay attention. This is the moment. Connect with Mary at Billings Speech Pathology Services or Function Focus Academy This episode is sponsored by Metro EHS, a growing, clinician-supported organization using a collaborative care model across disciplines. Learn more at metroehs.com. ✨ Grateful to Chomper Champs for bringing so much positivity and fun to the pediatric SLP space. Follow the link to order the 🦺 Fix SLP Construction Accessory Kit 🧰 , or bundle and save. Fix SLP receives 20% of every purchase, so it’s a win for everyone! ✨ 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here. 🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com. 🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work. 🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok , and YouTube. 🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content. 🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com. 🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

March 12, 202636 min

State by State: West Virginia SLP Advocacy, Leadership, and the 2026 Convention

Leaders from the West Virginia Speech-Language-Hearing Association (WVSHA) join the conversation to discuss advocacy, leadership, and the role of state organizations in speech-language pathology. Dr. Tori Gilbert, SLP, private practice owner and current association president, and Allegra Cornaglia, PhD/SLP, assistant professor and convention chair, share their experiences working within a state association and supporting clinicians across West Virginia. They discuss how WVSHA operates, opportunities for SLPs to get involved, and why clinician leadership at the state level matters. For SLPs interested in advocacy, professional leadership, or understanding how state-level organizations influence the profession, this discussion offers insight into how change happens within SLP. 🚧 Check out or join the West Virginia Speech-Language-Hearing Association here. 🚧 Register for the WVSHA Convention, April 28-29, 2026, and don't forget to use FIXWV at checkout for the membership rate, no matter who you are or where you live. 🚧 Follow WVSHA on Facebook . ✨ Grateful to Chomper Champs for bringing so much positivity and fun to the pediatric SLP space. Follow the link to preorder the 🦺 Fix SLP Construction Accessory Kit 🧰 , or bundle and save. Fix SLP receives 20% of every purchase, so it’s a win for everyone! ✨ Register for the directory at speechconnect.org and support the fundraiser that will help launch Speech Connect nationwide. 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here. 🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com. 🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work. 🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok , and YouTube. 🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content. 🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com. 🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

March 5, 202651 min

CPT 92507 Q&A for SLPs: Your Questions Answered

SLPs had a lot of questions after our last episode on CPT 92507, so we brought back healthcare reimbursement expert Rick Gawenda to answer them. In this Q&A episode, we talk about: 🛠️ Why CMS flagged 92507 🛠️ How the proposed 30-minute base codes would work 🛠️ Why SLP timed codes are not the same as PT/OT 🛠️ Questions about schools, Medicaid, documentation, and more If you're an SLP allied professional trying to understand what the CPT 92507 proposal could mean for speech therapy services, reimbursement, documentation, and access to care, this episode will help you make sense of the policy debate. The profession is watching closely, and clinician voices matter. You can find Rick Gawenda on Instagram , TikTok , YouTube , Twitter , LinkedIn , and Facebook , or at https://gawendaseminars.com . ✨ Grateful to Chomper Champs for bringing so much positivity and fun to the pediatric SLP space. Follow the link to preorder the 🦺 Fix SLP Construction Accessory Kit 🧰 , or bundle and save. Fix SLP receives 20% of every purchase, so it’s a win for everyone! ✨ Register for the directory at speechconnect.org and support the fundraiser that will help launch Speech Connect nationwide. 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here. 🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com. 🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work. 🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok , and YouTube. 🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content. 🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com. 🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

February 26, 20261 hr 27 min

CPT 92507 Is Being Deleted? What Every SLP Must Know About the New Speech Therapy Codes

CPT 92507 is being deleted and replaced with new time-based speech therapy CPT codes. What does this mean for SLP reimbursement, Medicare billing, work RVUs, and compliance? In this episode of Fix SLP, Jeanette Benigas, PhD, is joined by Rick Gawenda to break down: • Why CPT 92507 was targeted for review • The new proposed speech therapy CPT codes • RUC work RVU recommendations • Practice expense implications • The shift from untimed to timed codes • The risk to auditory processing disorder and communication in the new code language • How audits and payer denials could increase • What SLPs can do before the March 6 open comment period The AMA CPT Editorial Panel approved deleting 92507 and creating ten new time-based treatment codes. But what’s missing? Language that includes auditory processing disorder, communication, and flexibility for real-world therapy sessions. If you’re a speech-language pathologist in private practice, outpatient therapy, pediatrics, hospital, SNF, or home health, this episode explains exactly what is happening and what could change in 2027. This is the episode every SLP needs to hear about CPT 92507. You can find Rick Gawenda on Instagram , TikTok , YouTube , Twitter , Linkedin , and Facebook , or at https://gawendaseminars.com . ✨ Grateful for Beaming Health’s partnership in helping clinicians handle insurance so they can focus on patients. Make sure to let them know that Fix SLP sent you! ✨ Register for the directory at speechconnect.org and support the fundraiser that will help launch Speech Connect nationwide. 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here. 🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com. 🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work. 🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok , and YouTube. 🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content. 🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com. 🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★

February 19, 202642 min

How to Find a Speech Therapist: Why Speech Connect Is a Game-Changer for SLPs

Speech Connect, SLP directory, private practice growth, ASHA ProFind alternative, and access to speech therapy, this episode covers it all. Dr. Jeanette Benigas sits down with Jordyn Montique, MS/SLP (@ jrc_theslp ), founder of Speech Connect, a new free, community-driven directory for licensed speech-language pathologists. Speech Connect allows families to filter by identity, specialty, neurodiversity-affirming care, insurance type, private pay, teletherapy, and more, FOR FREE, without requiring the CCC. In this conversation, they discuss why families struggle to find the right SLP, how long waitlists limit access to care, why representation in speech-language pathology matters, how private practice owners can build sustainable referral networks, and why decentralizing gatekeeping in the profession is critical to the field's future. If you’re an SLP, private practice owner, or family searching for speech therapy services, this episode explains why Speech Connect may change how clinicians and communities connect. Register for the directory at speechconnect.org and support the fundraiser helping launch Speech Connect nationwide. Want to binge some of our top episodes? Get caught up with Colleen Ashford ( The ASHA Convention that Changed Everything ) and AC Goldberg ( I'm Not Dropping the CCC and Here's Why ) 🛠️ Stop paying to track ASHA-approved CEUs. Save your money and set up for a FREE CEU/PDH tracker with Speech Therapy PD. While you are there, get $10 off a professional subscription with the code FixSLP10! 🚧 Want to earn some PDHs or CEUs with a discount? Find our most up-to-date promo codes and discounts here. 🚧 We want to collaborate with YOU. If you would like to lead or join your state team, please email your name and state to states@fixslp.com. 🚧 Become a sustaining partner to support our work. 🚧 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok , and YouTube. 🚧 Find all our information at fixslp.com, and sign up for our email list to be alerted to new episodes and content. 🚧 Email us at team@fixslp.com. 🚧 Leave a message on our Minivan Meltdown line! ★ Support this podcast ★