2026 CPT Coding & Billing for Speech Therapy Services equips speech-language pathologists with the practical knowledge they need to bill accurately, compliantly, and confidently. This course teaches the correct use of CPT codes for outpatient speech therapy services across private practice, hospital-based outpatient departments, rehabilitation agencies, schools, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities billing Part B, and therapy services provided in a patient’s home.
Participants learn which CPT codes are service-based and which are time-based, and which interventions each CPT code includes. The course also reviews National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) Procedure-to-Procedure (PTP) edits, and the proper use of Modifier 59. In addition, it explains Medicare’s 8-minute rule and substantial portion of time-based CPT codes as defined by the American Medical Association (AMA) to support accurate billing for insurance carriers that do not follow Medicare’s 8-minute rule.
Through real-world billing scenarios, this course helps speech-language pathologists strengthen billing accuracy, improve documentation, and ensure compliant reimbursement from both Medicare and non-Medicare insurance carriers.
At the conclusion of this course presentation, participants will be able to:
- Be able to select and bill the appropriate CPT code based on the type of speech therapy evaluation performed
- Describe & understand how to select the correct treatment CPT code(s) based on interventions provided
- Understand how to bill for the evaluation for a speech-generating communication device
- Differentiate between one-on-one interventions and group therapy
- Define “per hour”, “each additional 15-minute
- s”, and “each additional 30-minutes” and what is a substantial portion of a time-based CPT code to the bill to Medicare and private insurance carriers
- Define and distinguish between column 1/column 2 NCCI PTP edits
- Be able to read the NCCI edit chart correctly and apply modifier 59 to the correct CPT code on the claim form
- Understand how what SLP’s bill may impact PT and OT reimbursement when patients are seen on the same day
- Be able to charge correctly for the services you provide under outpatient therapy benefits for Medicare and private insurance carriers
Rick Gawenda, P.T., graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. Mr. Gawenda is currently the President and founder of Gawenda Seminars & Consulting, Inc. He has provided valuable education and consulting to hospitals, rehabilitation agencies, private practices, nursing homes, and his peers in the areas of CPT and ICD-10 coding, billing, documentation, reimbursement, and compliance as it pertains to outpatient therapy services as well as denial management and the appeals process for Medicare denied claims. Mr. Gawenda’s website, https://gawendaseminars.com/, provides a valuable source of information on rehabilitation rules and regulations, coding, documentation, and reimbursement.
Mr. Gawenda is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and Michigan Physical Therapy Association (MPTA). Mr. Gawenda is the Past President of the Section on Health Policy & Administration of the APTA as well as Past President of the Michigan Association of Medical Rehabilitation Program Administrators.
Mr. Gawenda is also the author of “The How-To Manual for Rehab Documentation: A Complete Guide to Increasing Reimbursement and Reducing Denials” and “Coding and Billing For Outpatient Rehab Made Easy: Proper Use of CPT Codes, ICD-9 Codes and Modifiers”.
Speech-language pathologists, speech-language assistants, private practice owners, and practice administrators, office managers at private practices, as well as administrators, directors, managers, and supervisors in skilled nursing facilities, hospital outpatient therapy departments, schools, rehabilitation agencies, home health agencies providing Part B SLP services in the home, and comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities.
This course is appropriate for speech-language pathologists who provide outpatient therapy services to pediatrics, adults, and geriatrics.
In addition to the expertise and advice presented during this online conference, you’ll also receive a handout (in PDF format) that will include related references.
This course <strong>has not been submitted to any state board or national organization for CEU approval. A certificate of attendance will be available upon completion of the course for each participant and may be adequate for credit in some states; you will need to contact your state licensing regulatory body to determine whether or not credit will be granted for this online conference. We provide no additional information for CEU approval.
This online course was approximately 1.5 hours (including Q&A).
There are no refunds for no shows or any other reasons once you register and payment is received. We are not responsible for organization firewalls or computer software issues that may interfere and/or prohibit your connection to the webinar portion of the presentation.
Venue system requirements:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 7+, Mozilla Firefox 2.5+, Safari, or Chrome
- 1024 x 768 screen resolution
- Stable Internet connection, DSL or above
- Wired Internet connection; wireless is not recommended
- Flash Player 9 or higher
- Disable pop-up blockers
- Computer speakers for participants
Note: Android Smart Phones (i.e. iPhone) are not compatible.
In order to ensure a successful connection to this online course, please take a moment to conduct a system test by clicking this link: http://web.telspan.com/systemcheck
***Application Sharing does not need to be operational to view this course recording link.
*** This COURSE RECORDING and HANDOUTS is not to be distributed outside of your organization. If you have a larger organization and have multiple locations, then please contact us here for pricing.
