Definitions

Definitions A. Medicaid defines speech therapy services as medically prescribed services necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of communication impairment and/or swallowing disorder that has occurred due to disease, trauma or congenital anomaly. B. Medicaid defines a speech-language pathologist (speech therapist) as an individual who meets the state and federal licensing and/or certification requirements to perform speech- language pathology services. C. Medicaid defines a speech-language pathology assistant or speech therapy assistant as an individual who meets the state and federal licensing and/or certification requirements to assist in the practice of speech-language pathology services under the supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist. D. Medicaid defines a speech-language pathology aide as an unlicensed individual who assists the speech-language pathologist and the speech-language pathology assistant in the practice of speech-language pathology. The speech-language pathology aide performs services under the supervision of the licensed speech-language pathologist. E. Medicaid defines group therapy as the simultaneous treatment of two (2) or more beneficiaries. F. Medicaid defines a prescribing provider as a state licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant who refers the beneficiary for therapy services. G. Medicaid defines maintenance therapy as activities that preserve the beneficiary’s present level of function and prevent regression of that function.