Sessions at Keys to a Successful SLP Private Practice

September 6–18, 2023 | Online Conference

Private Practice 101: Starting and Growing Your SLP Practice
Jill Shook, MS, CCC-SLP

This session will guide you through the process of building your speech-language pathology private practice from the ground up, whether you are planning for part-time or full-time practice; pediatric or adult clients; and and in-person, telepractice, or hybrid sessions. The presenter—an SLP and private practice owner—will discuss making a business plan, budgeting, estimating startup costs; complying with HIPAA; and basic marketing.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify the best business structure for your state and financial requirements
• identify the best methods for marketing your practice
• list three ways to comply with HIPAA regulations

Billing and Payment in Private Practice
Meghan Ryan, BA, and Neela Swanson, BA

This session will discuss the nuances of cash pay and insurance reimbursement, basics of coding for billing, and how to evaluate an insurance denial. Do you have questions about rate setting for cash pay and the differences in insurance reimbursement? Have you struggled with insurance denials and understanding how to resubmit or appeal? While policies are variable across insurance carriers, this session will help you navigate the common processes involved in billing and payment.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• make informed decisions on rates and write good faith estimates for patients/clients
• use common billing practices to clearly code bills for insurance billing purposes
• analyze insurance denials and determine next steps

Navigating Medicare to Expand Your Practice
Sarah Warren, MA

Medicare beneficiaries are an important patient population to consider when developing a business model, and SLPs in private practice need to know how to enroll in and bill Medicare to ensure they are compliant with federal law. This course will walk through the basics of Medicare credentialing, coding and billing, and documentation to ensure successful processing of claims and medical records that will stand up to scrutiny if audited.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• determine how to enroll in the Medicare program
• identify the required elements of medical record documentation
• submit claims that are compliant with Medicare guidelines

Contracts With Payers
Paul W. Kim, Esq., MPH

Contracting with private health insurance plans may feel like negotiating with 800-pound gorillas. This session will identify provisions that you can negotiate and advocate for as well as discuss key strategies for accomplishing your goals and reducing barriers to reimbursement.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify factors that benefit providers in a payer contract
• identify provisions you can negotiate
• apply strategies for negotiating key provisions

This Is How We Do It: Examining Implicit Bias and Culturally Sustaining Practices
Courtney Overton, MS, CCC-SLP; Christina Royster, EdD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL; and Ana-Maria Jaramillo, SLPD, CCC-SLP

This session will explore implicit bias and its impact as well as discuss culturally and linguistically sustaining SLP practices for assessment of and intervention for diverse clients, patients, students, and families. Additionally, speakers will highlight dynamic assessment, multicultural considerations, and strengths/weaknesses of current assessment practices. This session can count toward the ASHA certification maintenance professional development requirement for DEI.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify current demographics, barriers to entry, and ways to diversify the speech-language pathology field
• define implicit biases and determine their impact on the assessment process of culturally and linguistically diverse individuals
• describe the most responsive assessment practices for diverse populations, including dynamic assessment and culturally responsive standardized measures

Private Practice and the Neurodivergent SLP
Rachel Dorsey, MS, CCC-SLP; Bobbi Adams Brown, MA, CCC-SLP; and Ruchi Kapila, MS, CCC-SLP

Neurodivergent SLPs (including those with dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety, autism, etc.) have unique insights and expertise, making them invaluable assets for fostering client-centered care within speech-language pathology practice. However, SLP employment is often inaccessible or unsustainable for neurodivergent SLPs due to inflexible policies, lack of reasonable accommodations, and inconsistent use of clinicians’ strengths. In this session, three neurodivergent SLPs who started their own private practices due to lack of supportive and accessible options will discuss employment and supervision barriers. They will share systemic and individualistic shifts to support neurodivergent SLPs.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify three barriers to accessible employment and supervision for neurodivergent SLPs
• identify at least two ways to support neurodivergent employees, clinical fellows, and students

Developing a Culturally Responsive Practice in Gender-Affirming Voice Services
Ruchi Kapila, MS, CCC-SLP

Focusing on the perspectives of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals and communities, this session will explore ways SLPs who currently—or aspire to—provide voice and communication services to TGNC individuals can better meet the holistic needs of this client population. The presenter will discuss ways to critically analyze evidence-based practices, implement principles of trauma-informed care in goal-writing and session cultivation, and provide additional resources to TGNC clients experiencing multiple barriers to care. The session will address identifying and integrating community-led resources and recommendations, collaborative models for co-creation of goals and session targets, and a system for accountability to foster continued learning. This session can count toward the ASHA certification maintenance professional development requirement for DEI.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify three or more TGNC community-led resources to facilitate continued learning and cultural responsiveness in providing gender-affirming voice care
• describe three or more applications of trauma-informed care principles in the areas of evaluation, goal-writing, session design, and/or home program implementation in private practice
• explain three or more actions SLPs may take to potentially circumvent barriers TGNC clients experience when seeking gender-affirming voice training and/or care

Approaches to Diversifying Your Private Practice
Britney W. Desir, MS, CCC-SLP, and Tamala H. Close, MS, CCC-SLP

In many instances, SLPs who look to venture into entrepreneurship face the same question of how to structure their business. You may have questions such as: Should I lease or purchase a brick and mortar office? Should I recruit employees vs. subcontractors? What is my target client population? Should I develop a niche to attract more clients? Should I accept insurance? This session will discuss various strategies that you can implement to answer these questions and diversify your new or established practice.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify areas within your business plan to diversify your practice
• develop objectives to target in your growth development plan
• locate resources to implement the areas you identified for diversification

So You Want to Start a Nonprofit
Tanna Neufeld, MS, CCC-SLP

Have you ever dreamed of using the incredible skills you’ve learned as an SLP in a different arena? Whether you want to explore a career change or turn your SLP skill set into a passion project of social service, this session aims to inspire and guide you on how and why a dive into the nonprofit world may be for you. The presenter will share their journey starting and nurturing a nonprofit organization using current skills and gaining a lot more along the way. The session will explore the benefits and hurdles of such an adventure and outline tips to help you get started building your own dreams in this rewarding niche.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• discuss at least three benefits of nonprofit structure in achieving social service and business objectives
• describe at least three steps that can be taken today to start a nonprofit venture
• identify at least three resources for ongoing learning and execution of nonprofit goals

Supervision and Mentorship in Private Practice: More Than a Performance
Jerrold Jackson, MA, CCC-SLP, and Julissa Iracheta, MS, CCC-SLP

Have you considered what is involved when inviting someone who needs supervision or mentorship into your private practice? What are the practical and clinical implications of mentoring a clinical fellow (CF), supervising an assistant (SLPA), or even mentoring a graduate student in this environment? This session will explore how supervision and mentorship can enhance a private practice. The presenters will offer ideas, techniques, tools, suggestions, and strategies related to integration of students, SLPAs, and/or CFs into teams with the mindset of developing successful and effective collaborations. This session can count toward the ASHA certification professional development requirement for Supervision.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify potential challenges and benefits of supervision and CF mentorship in private practice
• locate accurate information regarding ASHA and state guidelines surrounding the supervisory and CF mentorship process
• develop a plan of action for engaging in meaningful professional relationships through supervision and mentorship

How Does ASHA's Code of Ethics Apply to the Private Practitioner?
Katie Meyer, Esq., and Debra Schober-Peterson, PhD, CCC-SLP

Private practice has its own set of unique ethical challenges. While schools, medical facilities, and universities typically have processes, policies, and support systems in place to handle matters like documentation, reimbursement, marketing, personnel issues, and security of student/patient information, many private practitioners handle these responsibilities on their own. Therefore, private practitioners need to be aware of a host of potential ethical issues and create policies to ensure that they—and their employees—are making ethical decisions in every part of their practice. This session can count toward the ASHA certification maintenance professional development requirement for Ethics.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify ethical issues that can frequently arise in private practice
• discuss how the provisions of the revised ASHA Code of Ethics (2023) affect private practice

Resilient Mindset: Caring for Yourself as You Run and Grow Your Practice
Melissa Page Deutsch, MS, CCC-SLP, ACC, CPCC

Speech-language pathologists in private practice wear two hats and carry two loads: caring clinician and business owner. Whether you are starting out or have weathered many seasons, there will be days when you find yourself overwhelmed and wonder, “Am I up for this? Is it possible to create the work and life that I love when I feel burned out?” This session will share tools and strategies for boosting resilience at work and in life. The presenter will demonstrate evidence-backed ways to rediscover your flow; identify healthier ways to relate to your business; and reconnect with your emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual center—and give you time to practice these techniques during the session.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify resources to reduce stress and make empowered decisions that help you and your practice thrive
• ground and center yourself into the present moment to decrease anxiety and increase problem-solving in the face of challenges
• create healthy time, space, and energy boundaries rooted in your core values

Reflections on Private Practice: Perspectives From Three Practice Owners
Jill Shook, MS, CCC-SLP; Tanna Neufeld, MS, CCC-SLP; and Carrie Fleming, MEd, CCC-SLP

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to private practice. When establishing a private practice, it is important to consider that private practice looks different for everyone and that it is possible to build a practice that fits your personal needs, goals, and values. In this panel session, three SLP private practice owners will present their unique insights, highlighting lessons learned, success stories, and pitfalls to avoid. The speakers will share marketing strategies, funding sources, and resources to help you start or grow the practice that is right for you.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• describe at least three marketing strategies to support private practice establishment and growth
• identify at least three funding sources to support financial viability in private practice
• identify at least three resources for ongoing learning and action in starting or growing a private practice

Serving as an Expert Witness: What to Consider and What to Expect
Lissa Power-deFur, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, and Brenda Seal, PhD, CCC-SLP

An expert witness is responsible for providing specialized knowledge to assist in understanding the evidence or determining a fact at issue in a criminal, civil, or special education due process proceeding. This session will provide an overview of the roles, responsibilities, and qualifications of an SLP who may be asked to serve in an expert witness role. The speakers will discuss associated judicial and quasi-judicial procedures; methods for providing written and oral testimony as an expert; and tips for organizing your resume for this role.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• compare your expertise with the qualifications typically expected of an expert witness
• evaluate sample oral and written testimony for effectiveness in meeting the responsibility of an expert witness
• organize your resume to meet the expectations of serving as an expert witness

Marketing Using Social Media: Navigating as a Producer and Consumer
Brianna Miluk, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC

This session will focus on two primary facets of social media use to promote your business. First, the presenter will discuss using social media to market your business, including sharing your brand and voice as well as targeting ideal clients. Second, the session will explore creating content, including your ethical and other responsibilities as a creator, identifying and appraising misinformation/pseudoscience, and being an overall informed consumer.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• describe three ways to use social media for marketing your private practice
• apply strategies to appraise social media posts for credibility
• demonstrate responsible social media practices when sharing content

"I loved how there were different perspectives on the same subject. I liked the tips and practical strategies that were provided."