The SPEAK Project Goes to Washington: Our CMS Meeting and What's Next

What happened when the SPEAK Project went to Washington, DC, to fight for sustainable Medicare reimbursement for speech-language pathologists?

In this episode of Fix SLP, Jeanette Benigas, PhD/SLP, and Emily Watkins, MCD/SLP, share what they can about their meetings with congressional healthcare staff and senior CMS officials as the January 1, 2027, replacement of CPT 92507 approaches.

They discuss the proposed Medicare payment reductions, the national economic analysis involving nearly 1.3 million reimbursed SLP service events, and why independent data has become central to their advocacy. They also explain the role of K&L Gates, why some congressional strategy must remain confidential, and what happened in Washington that left them cautiously optimistic.

Most importantly, Jeanette and Emily explain what SLPs should, and should not, be doing during this critical phase of advocacy.

The fight isn't over. The strategy is in the next phase, and your involvement still matters.

Learn more, submit patient and family stories, or support the effort at https://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