Academic Programs inAudiology & Speech-Language

Pathology: Weathering the Changes Ahead

ASAHP Annual Conference, October 26, 2012Shelly Chabon, PhD, CCC-SLP

2012 ASHA President

ASHA Mission & Vision

Where Members WorkASHA Constituency by Primary Employment Facility

Source: Year-End Counts (rounded), ASHA Membership and Affiliation, 2010

Schools50%

College/University

4%

Hospital13%

Non Residential Healthcare

18%Other

6%

Residential Healthcare

9%

ASHA Constituency

Winds of CHANGE“The trouble with weather forecasting is that it’s right too often for us to ignore it & wrong too often for us to rely on it.”

--Patrick Young

Gusts Ahead for Audiology

• Growing need for hearing services (aging population)

• Changing marketplace:

Online hearing aid sales

Perceived lack of affordable services

Pressure to “unbundle” services

Presence of insurance companies

• Increasing dependence on technology & internet

• Changing educational standards

Move from AuD to PhD models

Creation of specialty tracks

Implementation of 4th year experiences

Gusts Ahead for Speech-Language Pathology

• Personnel shortages

• Rising costs of health care

• Fee-for-service system under fire

• Outcome-driven reimbursement

• Increasing caseloads

• Graduate programs at capacity

• Educational changes Value of clinical

doctorate Supervision training &

credentials Specialty certifications

Forecast & Outlook for the Preparation of Future Audiologists & SLPs

• Move to team-based care

• Focus on interprofessional collaboration

• Need to present a solid identity

• Introduction of new teaching technologies

• Need to assess cost of/ access to health care

• In God We Trust – everyone else bring data

• Change in research priorities

• Need for more international experiences

• Increase in diversity of those served

• Use of online simulation

• MOCs

• Credit for experience

STORMS on theHorizon

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

--Mark Twain

Showers Likely for Health Care & Education

Health Care Settings

Higher Education Settings

Customer Satisfaction

Patient Experience Student Experience

Cost Reduce service volume; lower delivery cost

Tuition costs; other costs

Quality Outcomes Health Function; Quality of Life

Graduation/ Placement

Reduce Length of Stay

Cut hospital days, no. of visits, etc.

Reduce time to graduation

Safety Patient welfare/ Reduce errors/ Reduce unnecessary complications

Student welfare/ Conflict resolution/Violence reduction on campuses

Adapted from Johnson, A. (2012) What is the (Preferred) Educational Future in SLP for Health Care Practice? ASHA Changing Healthcare Landscape Summit [presentation]

Pressure to generate more clinical revenue

Pressure to increase

enrollment

Fewer scientists

Occasional Turbulence Ahead for the Professions

Students question value of advanced degrees

Fewer able to practice with under-served populations

Increased school debt + decreased salary rates

Increased demands from stakeholders

Decreased funding to colleges & universities

Pressure to place bachelor’s level students who don’t get into grad

school

Wind Advisory

Increased need to• Expand the pipeline for

clinicians entering the professions to meet burgeoning needs of schools and clinics

• Build outreach and provide opportunities for more diverse students

• Explore the benefits of inter-professional education, credit for prior-learning experiences & innovative clinical education

• Identify funds for more scholarships

• Reassess the continuum of education

• Adjust curricula to teach skills in team-based care

• Assess value of undergraduate major as well as clinical doctorate

• Communicate value of graduate degree

DRESSING for the weather

“There is no such thing as bad weather, just unsuitable clothing.”

--Alfred Wainwright

Proj

ecte

d Jo

b Gro

wth

Clear Skies Ahead for Audiologists

Much faster than average growth through

2018

Additional 3,200 audiologists needed

25% increase in job openings

Proj

ecte

d Jo

b Gro

wth

Clear Skies Ahead for SLPs

Faster than average growth through 2018

Additional 22,100 SLPs needed

19% increase in job openings

Warming Trends

•Abundance of qualified students

•High success rates of graduates

•Personnel shortages translate into high employment availability for graduates

•Established models continue to produce successful clinicians

Dressing for the Weather: Audiology

• Prioritize patient centered care Incentivize measure/value of outcomes Incorporate patient’s goals into treatment

• Adjust curricula to reflect healthcare changes

New reimbursement models Biotechnology Use of large data sets to evaluate

outcomes & demonstrate value Preferred practice patterns Online/blended learning Interprofessional education

Dressing for the Weather: Speech-Language Pathology

• Expand clinical paradigm Adopt ICF framework Focus on context-based

communication effectiveness (vs. on deficit & impairment)

• Position SLPs as leaders in communication health

• Develop/enhance quality & outcomes measures

• Reframe/rebrand the profession

• Widely disseminate information

Verbal Warming: Questions now being asked

• Do students understand the ICF framework and will they be prepared to use it to evidence the value and outcomes of their services?

• Do students understand that their ability to be reimbursed will be based on outcomes and not treatments?

• Will students be prepared to compete?

• Is the standard university clinic the right place to learn the best practice?

Verbal Warming: Questions now being asked

• How should we be responding [to rising health costs & lack of coverage] as a profession?

• How will we evidence to regulators, health care rating organizations, accrediting bodies, employers, commercial payers and the public the necessity, quality, efficiency & accountability of our services?

• How can we energize individuals to become catalysts of change?

• What does the ideal clinician of the future look like?