Private Practice in Speech-Language Pathology

Whether you see a few clients privately or are looking to build a full-time business, the following resources provide information for establishing a private practice. Considerations for this include local/state regulatory guidance, developing a business plan, steps to establish a business entity, liability insurance, and ethical considerations for private practice. You may also consider consulting with a small business attorney for information about establishing the business and an accountant who can offer additional guidance about financial structure and tax implications.

The ASHA Code of Ethics is a framework and guide for day-to-day decision-making and professional conduct. In addition to the code, you need to follow any state professional and business licensing regulations that may apply. The ASHA State-by-State pages include contacts to state licensure boards and information regarding SLP and support personnel licensure. Professional liability insurance is different from standard liability insurance as it provides coverage of clinical services rather than liability coverage of your office or service location. ASHA members can obtain discounted professional liability insurance at ASHA Member Benefits. 

Building a Business

• Developing a Business Plan
• Small Business Administration Information on Registering a Business
• Types of Business Entities
• Multi-skilled Personnel Policy Statement

Marketing

• Tips to Elevate Your Private Practice Marketing 
• Marketing Considerations
• ASHA's ProFind

 Ethical Considerations

• Issues in Ethics Statements
• Everyday Ethics

Documentation and Reimbursement

There are important considerations for coding and reimbursement for services and protecting client privacy. These include understanding the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), obtaining a National Provider Number (NPI), and credentialing for Medicare, Medicaid, and/or private health insurance. Documentation is a critical vehicle for communication between clients, families, payers, and other clinical service providers. 

Documentation

• Physician Prescription and Professional Autonomy
• Contracts and Statements of Understanding
• Documentation in Health Care
• Documentation in Schools
• Templates and Tools
• Client Record Retention
• Good Faith Estimate Templates for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists

HIPAA

• Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

Billing and Reimbursement

• ASHA's Billing and Reimbursement webpages
• National Provider Identification (NPI) Numbers
• Determining Fees
• ASHA’s Model Superbill for SLP
• EMR & Practice Management Software
• No Surprises Act Goes Into Effect 2022

For specific questions about coding and payment, contact ASHA’s Reimbursement Team at reimbursement@ASHA.org.

Service Delivery

The following information assists in understanding the nuances of service delivery, including providing telepractice service, hiring and supervising speech-language pathology assistants (SLPA) and/or clinical fellows, and other aspects, including providing counseling and culturally competent SLP services.

Telepractice

• Practice Portal: Telepractice
• Serving Clients in Other States and Countries Through Telepractice in a Private Practice
• COVID-19 Telepractice Resources
• Considerations for Speech, Language, and Cognitive Assessment via Telepractice

Speech-Language Pathology Assistants

• ASHA Assistants Certification Program
• Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Scope of Practice
• Practice Portal: Speech-Language Pathology Assistants

Additional Considerations

• Assessment in Private Practice
• Tools, Techniques, and Data Sources
• A Guide to the ASHA Clinical Fellowship Experience
• Practice Portal: Clinical Education and Supervision
• Practice Portal: Counseling for Professional Service Delivery
• Practice Portal: Cultural Responsiveness
• Practice Portal: Multilingual Service Delivery

­­­­­­­­­­­­­ASHA Publications and Products for Private Practice

• ASHA Wire: Private Practice
• ASHA Professional Development CE Courses
• ASHA Store

Networking and Engagement

In addition to connecting with other ASHA members, consider establishing relationships with professionals and other business owners in your community. This may include your local Chamber of Commerce, local networking groups, and referral sources.

• ASHA Member Community (select Private Practice)
• ASHA Special Interest Groups
• American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology and Audiology
• The Corporate Speech Pathology Network (Corspan)

Additional ASHA Resources

• Quality Improvement for Speech-Language Pathologists
• Quality Indicators for Professional Service Programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
• ASHA Career Portal: Private Practice

For questions or more information, contact ASHA’s Clinical Issues Team at SLPInfo@asha.org.