As I continue in PRN work, I am amazed at the “longevity of the absurd” as exemplified in an SLP’s documentation notating a 15-minute evaluation for a Medicare Part A patient, regardless of their admittance diagnosis. This oxymoronic documentation is the end product of some very flawed thinking stretching all the way from Washington, D.C. through the corporate offices of rehab companies, and down to the street level rehabilitation service centers throughout the nation. At the root of this medical corruption is the germinal  fact that Medicare Part A evaluations are not reimbursed financially by Medicare. So, when the patient is admitted to a rehabilitation center from hospital, OBRA guidelines which compel a “comprehensive evaluation” (Federal Tag 272) of the patient, places the SLP in the “no pay zone” of Medicare. Work without pay used to be called slavery.

As I travel and lecture across this country, the question continuously surfacing in each workshop is "What did I spend my money on for my master's?" This question is usually generated by a feeling that somewhere in their graduate studies, the workshop attendees should have had instruction on the workshop topic areas, since these topics have such basic implications on their SLP practices. Quite frankly, as I look at the catalog curriculums of some of our schools, it is difficult to discern curriculum differences since the time when I went to school - twenty years ago.