Medicare Reimbursement Enhancement Act, 2007

[lbdas118]

i am about to begin my enrollment at PCO(possibly transferring to Gallaudet due to tuition concerns) and i constantly research the job outlook of our field. i stumbles upon an article to indicating that the Medicare bill has been submitted to Congress to give patients direct access to audiologists. i am curious what our student doctors feel will result out of this legislation if it in fact is passed?

i say humbly that i am the most passionate and knowledgeable undergraduate in my class. i have been an aud tutor since i was a sophomore, already have 30 hours(and climbing) in a clinic, and am a constant learner. my question is will my ambitions help me make REAL money in the field? i ask because i have a child to care and wife to care for, not out of materialism. is there any thoughts on what the AuD will do for our future? what will it do for our scope of treatment and practice?

my last question pertain to private practice. when do these practices become lucrative? does anyone have a salary/hours/lifestyle depiction of this aspect?

thanks for your time. this thread seems very ignorant in my mind, i am in love with my future and this thread pertains a lot to money. again, i am directly concerned about the cost of education as well as the responsibility i have to my family. i offer an apology if it offends anyone's passion

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[HearingDoc]

As for the Medicare bill, this will be one last hassle for patients, but I don't know that it'll make much of an impact. A bigger impact is going to be in 10 years when the baby boomers are older and need hearing aids.

I would say most people don't go into audiology for the money. However, there is money to be had in audiology (i.e. hearing aids). Most of my AuD was paid for with scholarship, but I don't know how many schools offer money. I think that was one of the problems with going from the masters to the AuD is that students won't want to go to school for 4 years just to make $50k. I read an article recently I think in the ASHA leader about AuD salaries are on the rider. If you're really ambitious you can do really well in the field, but I believe you need the passion for it too!

Good luck!

 

[chicoborja]

As for the OP, props to the dub allstars. It's nice to see someone else on here with similar musical tastes. I seriously doubt direct access will pass this year. AAO-HNS has exponentially more money in their pac than AAA and ASHA combined. Maybe in the future but I wouldn't count on it right away. Then again, I am a habitual pessimist. I'd find a good AuD program with cheaper tuition than PCO. I know Vanderbilt is a good program but I'm not sure that they're cheap. See what scholarships or stipends you can get. I heard from some students at Gallaudet (however it's spelled) that they received nice yearly stipends if they committed to working in a pediatric setting for x number of years after graduation. That program has a strong sign emphasis so I hope you enjoy manual communication if you choose that program. I believe they are also big on genetics. As far as the AuD, I personally believe that most literature claiming that the AuD will boost salaries is hype. There's no reason that it would except that transitioning to the AuD may create a temporary reduction in audiologists due to programs closing. The best way to make money in this field is to be an entrepeneur. That can happen in a variety of ways. Commonly, private practice is a good way to achieve what you desire; however, you must be very careful about this option. Many practices fail if you are not business saavy. Other options include working for hearing aid manufacturers. I believe they pay well but significant travel is required. If you go the PhD route and are rather ingenius you may patent some clever idea and sell it to a third-party (i.e., Kathleen Campbell and otoprotectants). Look at Mead Killion. He's got to be a millionaire owning Etymotic Research but he's also got a strong mathematics background. Manual Don from House Ear and Nina Kraus from Northwestern both have collaborated with Biologic to develop the Stacked ABR and BioMap technologies, respectively. I can't speak with any certainty but I'm sure they had to have made some money off of these deals. Being intelligent, motivated, and able to network are all ingredients that will lead to success in any field. Be sure not to get stuck though. Working in the public schools may be a great job but there's not much room for advancement nor significant earnings. The VAs typically have some of the best salaries along with private practice. Good luck!

 

[PCO4yrStudent]

Hello there Future Colleague,

From what I’ve heard, this Medicare bill is a big deal!! Medicare usually sets the amount of money paid/reimbursed to clinicians for medical services. Each medical insurance company can set their own amount for reimbursement, but they all are usually very close to the amount that Medicare pays. From what I understand (I may be wrong!), Medicare currently pays Audiologists for the TIME it takes them to administer each test and procedure. They are not paid for their KNOWLEDGE and SKILL used to diagnose and treat patients. If this bill was passed, it will allow Audiologist to get paid like other Clinical Doctors. Audiologists would receive pay for interpreting test results, diagnosing and developing treatment plans. Currently, a referral is needed from the patient’s primary care provider, for audiological services to be covered by Medicare and some other insurance companies (without it the patient would pay out of pocket). Patients would not need a referral from their primary care provider to see an Audiologist if this bill were passed, we would be direct access care providers.

If I have said anything that is incorrect, I apologize. Will the experienced Audiologists please comment and correct any mistakes I have made? Thanks for your help!!!

 

[audstudent]

No referral is needed in DC. Remember? That bill just passed.

 

[PCO4yrStudent]

That’s right! Now we need the other 50 states to adopt similar bills. It would be great if the U.S. healthcare system would follow the VA Hospital Model were patients see Audiologists first for any ear or dizziness problems. If the diagnosis can be treated by surgery or some other medical treatment outside our scope of practice, then the patient will be referred to an Otologist or ENT doctor. This is similar the way Optometrists and Ophthalmologists see patients. You don’t need a referral to get an eye exam from an Optometrist (they have the same training as Au.D ‘s), and they will refer a patient to see an Ophthalmologist when necessary.

 

[CNVIII]

I agree....that medicare access would be much better for patients and Doctors of Audiology alike! The training of Optometrists is similar in the sense that there is a 4-yr doctoral program Au.D. and O.D. respectively with the biggest difference being 1 to 1.5 years of pharmacology for optometry students because optometrists prescribe medications in 50 states (almost all states have oral and topical rights)compared to one semester class in pharmacology for Au.D. students because audiologists cannot prescribe medications. I agree with the analogy though with Au.D's being the primary hearing and balance care provider----> there should be universal first contact access for patients.

 

[PCO4yrStudent]

I meant to say that O.D.’s have the same level of education as Au.D.’s Hopefully, Au.D. programs will increase the amount of pharmacology (and basic sciences) taught so one day Au.D’s will have the privilege of treating some ear conditions with oral and topical meds. O.D.’s have just earned this privilege over the last 20 years, so I think it is reasonable for us to reach for the same type of goals in our profession. I know there are many steps involved in this process and these advances in Audiology will not take place overnight, but I feel confident that will occur during the span of our career. We will look back on these days and say “remember when dealers use to prescribe and sell hearing aids, and you had to get a Ph.D if you wanted to be a doctor in Audiology, we couldn’t prescribe meds back then either!!!”

 

[Beau Geste]

I think the issue boils down to "what are the chances of misdiagnosis" and rising malpractice costs for prescription rights.

 

[lbdas118]

thank to all who answered. ty chic our music rocks. as for the pco student, hope to see you win the fall. a friend of mine from high school is also going to be enrolled in my class, so we should prove to liven things up at PCO what year are u in?

 

[PCO4yrStudent]

lbdas118 Sorry it took me so long to reply, but I have been busy with final exams. I’m so glad I survived! I have just completed my first year, so I’ll be a second year when I return to class in June. I look forward to meeting you. If you have any additional questions about housing or anything, please send me a private message.