Documentation and Report Writing

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Documentation and Report Writing

• AAC

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Steps to finding funding

• Survey the funding resources that are potentially
  available for the individual.
• Identify potential sources for various activities
  in an AAC intervention.
• Prepare a funding plan with the AAC user and
  family.
• Prepare necessary documentation for the funding
  request.
• If the initial request is denied, appeal for
  reconsideration or find a new funding source.
• Proceed to a hearing if necessary.

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1. Survey sources to the user

• Insurance?
• Medical assistance?
• School?

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2. Potential resources

• adoption/foster care agency
• adult services agency
• community organizations
• disability organizations
• employer

• long-term disability
• Medicaid Medicare
• parent/family/self
• private health insurance
• school
• legal settlement

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3. Review funding plan

• Review the plan with the family to make sure we
  are in this together.
• Review with team to get full consensus on entire
  plan. You will need all the support you can get.

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4. Necessary Documentation

• Your diagnostic report will be the basis of your
  funding request.
• In most cases it will be your funding request.
• Important to include all of the following in a
  report/request according to medical assistance.

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Document, cont. Sections of a report
I. Demographic info.

• Name
• SS
• DOB
• Address
• Phone
• Patient contact person

• Physician NN
• Med.DX
• date of onset
• date of eval.
• date of request
• SLP NN

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• II. Current communication impairment
• A. General statement about medical or speech
  diagnosis, including anticipated course of
  impairment

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• B. Comprehensive Assessment
• Hearing
• vision
• physical
• language skills
• cognitive skills

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• III. Daily communication needs
• A. Specific daily communication needs
• primary communication situations
• primary communication partners
• daily functional communication needs

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• B. Ability to meet communication needs with non
  SGD treatment approaches
• past rehab/tx
• devices once used
• low-tech devices that are inappropriate
• why current approach is not working
• current research supporting your decision

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• IV. Functional communication goals
• Upon receipt of an SGD, therapy will target the
  following goals. The patient will demonstrate
  ability to

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• V. Rational for device selection
• A.General features of the recommended SGD and
  accessories
• The SGD needs the following input and output
  features
• Input
• Output
• Other features

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• B. Recommended Medicare/Medicaid device
  category and accessory codes
• (May change from year to year or state to state)

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• C. Trials with SGDs and Accessories
• list success and failure
• compare devices
• compare accessories
• limitations and strengths with devices and
  accessories

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• D. Recommended SGD and Accessories
• List company/manufactures name/s, address and
  phone for SGD and accessories.
• List SGD and all needed accessories
• software
• SGD
• switches
• mounting system
• adaptations to existing device or computer
• headgear/pointer

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• E. Patient and family support of SGD
• attitudes
• training
• education
• list more than one communication partner if
  available

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• F. Physician involvement statement
• A copy of this report has been forwarded to the
  patients treating physician on _____(date) for
  review and prescription.

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• VI. Treatment plan/recommendations
• frequency
• duration
• for what? (general)
• refer back to goals

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Document, cont. Sections of a report

• VIII. Signatures/SLP assurance of financial
  independence
• The Speech -Language Pathologist performing this
  evaluation is not an employee of and does not
  have a financial relationship with the supplier
  of the SGD.
• List of signaturescan include team members when
  available.

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5. 6. Appeal and Hearings

• Appeal to MA or Insurance

• Take it all the way!

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Good Idea...

• Send letter of medical necessity
• Send copies of report to physician, family, team
  members and client
• Send letter of thanks along with report to
  funding source if not personal, MA or insurance
• Send copy of report and/or note to SGD
  manufacturer

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• After documentation is sent
• WAIT!!!

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Funding for Assistive Technology

• For school-age children, funding can often be
  addressed through the Individuals with
  Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). For more
  information on IDEA visit the Families and
  Advocates Partnership for Education web site
• www.fape.org

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Funding for Assistive Technology

• An excellent handbook on funding assistive
  technology through Medicaid, private insurance,
  and Social Security can be found at
• www.trace.wisc.edu/archive/fintech/fintech.html

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Funding for Assistive Technology

• Some ATA Centers accept donations of used
  computers then refurbish and distribute them to
  adults with disabilities and to families of
  children with disabilities. Some community
  technology centers also recycle equipment to
  people in their communities. For a listing of all
  ATA Centers and CTCs visit the web sites of their
  national organizations
• www.ATAccess.org
• www.CTCNet.org

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Funding for Assistive Technology

• Lions Club, Elks Club, Easter Seals, church
  groups, and local charitable organizations may
  provide support for the purchase of these
  technologies.
• Information on some of these groups can be found
  at
• www.elks.org/lodges/default.cfm
• www.easterseals.com
• www.lionsclubs.org

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Funding for Assistive Technology

• Another good resource for families when
  considering an assistive technology purchase is
  the PLUK Family Guide to Assistive Technology
  found on the web at
• www.pluk.org/AT1.html

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Funding for Assistive Technology

• Organizations can find help locating technology
  for their libraries or for distribution to
  consumers through the National Cristina
  Foundation, an organization that accepts
  donations of computer equipment and donates them
  to tax-exempt organizations or public agencies
  specializing in working with the special needs
  population in the areas of education and
  training.
• www.cristina.org

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Funding for Assistive Technology

• Information on used equipment, product
  information, and funding is available at the Iowa
  Program for Assistive Technology on the web at
• http//www.uiowa.edu/infotech