Public Act 0719 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1483 Enrolled LRB096 07510 ASK 17603 b

Public Act 096-0719

AN ACT concerning professional regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act is amended by changing Section 3 and by adding Section 9.3 as follows:

(225 ILCS 110/3) (from Ch. 111, par. 7903)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2018)

Sec. 3. Definitions. The following words and phrases shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(a) "Department" means the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

(b) "Secretary" means the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation.

(c) "Board" means the Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology established under Section 5 of this Act.

(d) "Speech-Language Pathologist" means a person who has received a license pursuant to this Act and who engages in the practice of speech-language pathology.

(e) "Audiologist" means a person who has received a license pursuant to this Act and who engages in the practice of audiology.

(f) "Public member" means a person who is not a health professional. For purposes of board membership, any person with a significant financial interest in a health service or profession is not a public member.

(g) "The practice of audiology" is the application of nonmedical methods and procedures for the identification, measurement, testing, appraisal, prediction, habilitation, rehabilitation, or instruction related to hearing and disorders of hearing. These procedures are for the purpose of counseling, consulting and rendering or offering to render services or for participating in the planning, directing or conducting of programs that are designed to modify communicative disorders involving speech, language or auditory function related to hearing loss. The practice of audiology may include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

(1) any task, procedure, act, or practice that is necessary for the evaluation of hearing or vestibular function;

(2) training in the use of amplification devices;

(3) the fitting, dispensing, or servicing of hearing instruments; and

(4) performing basic speech and language screening tests and procedures consistent with audiology training.

(h) "The practice of speech-language pathology" is the application of nonmedical methods and procedures for the identification, measurement, testing, appraisal, prediction, habilitation, rehabilitation, and modification related to communication development, and disorders or disabilities of speech, language, voice, swallowing, and other speech, language and voice related disorders. These procedures are for the purpose of counseling, consulting and rendering or offering to render services, or for participating in the planning, directing or conducting of programs that are designed to modify communicative disorders and conditions in individuals or groups of individuals involving speech, language, voice and swallowing function.

"The practice of speech-language pathology" shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

(1) hearing screening tests and aural rehabilitation procedures consistent with speech-language pathology training;

(2) tasks, procedures, acts or practices that are necessary for the evaluation of, and training in the use of, augmentative communication systems, communication variation, cognitive rehabilitation, non-spoken language production and comprehension; and .

(3) the use of rigid or flexible laryngoscopes for the sole purpose of observing and obtaining images of the pharynx and larynx in accordance with Section 9.3 of this Act.

(i) "Speech-language pathology assistant" means a person who has received a license pursuant to this Act to assist a speech-language pathologist in the manner provided in this Act.

(j) "Physician" means a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches under the Medical Practice Act of 1987.

(Source: P.A. 94-528, eff. 8-10-05; 95-465, eff. 8-27-07.)

(225 ILCS 110/9.3 new)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2018)

Sec. 9.3. Requirements for the use of laryngoscopes.

(a) A speech-language pathologist may perform an endoscopic procedure using a rigid laryngoscope for the sole purpose of observing and obtaining images of the pharynx and larynx if all of the following requirements have been met:

(1) The speech-language pathologist has observed 5 procedures performed by either (i) a physician who has been granted hospital privileges to perform these procedures or (ii) a speech-language pathologist who has met the requirements of items (1), (2), and (5) of this subsection (a) in a licensed health care facility or a clinic affiliated with a hospital, university, college, or ASHA-approved continuing education course that has emergency medical backup and a physician available or in the office of a physician who is available or in the office of a speech-language pathologist provided that he or she maintains cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification.

(2) The speech-language pathologist has successfully performed 10 procedures under the direct supervision of a physician who has been granted hospital privileges to perform these procedures; provided, however, that the physician may delegate the supervision of the procedures to a speech-language pathologist who has met the requirements of this subsection (a) or subsection (c) of this Section. The supervising physician shall provide written verification that the speech-language pathologist in training has successfully completed the requirements of this item (2) demonstrating the ability to perform these procedures. The speech-language pathologist shall have this written verification on file and readily available for inspection upon request by the Board.

(3) If the patient has a voice disorder or vocal cord dysfunction, he or she must be examined by a physician who has been granted hospital privileges to perform these procedures and the speech-language pathologist must have received from that physician a written referral and direct authorization to perform the procedure.

(4) If the patient has a swallowing disorder or a velopharyngeal disorder, he or she must be examined by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches and the speech-language pathologist must have received from that physician a written referral and direct authorization to perform the procedure.

(5) The speech-language pathologist has completed a hands-on university or college course, or a hands-on seminar or workshop in endoscopy as a technique for investigating speech and swallowing, which qualifies for continuing education credit with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

(6) The speech-language pathologist must send a written report or recorded copy of the observations recorded during an evaluation to the referring physician, and if the speech-language pathologist performs any procedure and observes an abnormality or the possibility of a condition that requires medical attention, the speech-language pathologist shall immediately refer the patient to the referring physician for examination.

(7) In no instance may the speech-language pathologist use a laryngoscope to perform any procedure that disrupts living tissue.

(8) The speech-language pathologist is using the rigid laryngoscope in (i) a licensed healthcare facility or clinic affiliated with a hospital, university, college, or ASHA-approved continuing education course that has emergency medical back-up and a physician available, (ii) an office of a physician who is available, or (iii) in the speech language pathologist's office provided that he or she maintains cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification.

(b) A speech-language pathologist may use a flexible laryngoscope for the sole purpose of observing and obtaining images of the pharynx and larynx if all of the following requirements have been met:

(1) The speech-language pathologist has observed 10 procedures performed by either (i) a physician who has been granted hospital privileges to perform these procedures or (ii) a speech-language pathologist who has met the requirements of items (1), (2), and (6) of this subsection (b) in a licensed health care facility or a clinic affiliated with a hospital, university, college, or ASHA-approved continuing education course that has emergency medical back-up and a physician available or in the office of a physician who is available.

(2) The speech-language pathologist has successfully performed 25 procedures under the direct supervision of a physician who has been granted hospital privileges to perform these procedures; provided, however, that the physician may delegate the supervision of the procedures to a speech-language pathologist who has met the requirements of this subsection (b) or subsection (c) of this Section. The supervising physician shall provide written verification that the speech-language pathologist in training has successfully completed the requirements of this item (2) demonstrating the ability to perform these procedures. The speech-language pathologist shall have this written verification on file and readily available for inspection upon request by the Board.

(3) The observation of the patient's function must take place (i) under the supervision of a physician and (ii) in a licensed health care facility or a clinic affiliated with a hospital, university, or college that has emergency medical backup and a physician available or in the office of a physician who is available.

(4) If the patient has a voice disorder or vocal cord dysfunction, he or she must be examined by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches who has been granted hospital privileges to perform these procedures and the speech-language pathologist must have received from that physician a written referral and direct authorization to perform the procedure.

(5) If the patient has a swallowing disorder or a velopharyngeal disorder, he or she must be examined by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches and the speech-language pathologist must have received from that physician a written referral and direct authorization to perform the procedure.

(6) The speech-language pathologist has completed a hands-on university or college course, or a hands-on seminar or workshop in endoscopy as a technique for investigating speech and swallowing, which qualifies for continuing education credit with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

(7) The speech-language pathologist must send a written report or recorded copy of the observations recorded during an evaluation to the referring physician, and if the speech-language pathologist performs any procedure and observes an abnormality or the possibility of a condition that requires medical attention, the speech-language pathologist shall immediately refer the patient to the referring physician for examination.

(8) In no instance may the speech-language pathologist use a laryngoscope to perform any procedure that disrupts living tissue.

(c) A speech-language pathologist seeking to use both a rigid laryngoscope and a flexible laryngoscope for the sole purpose of observing and obtaining images of the pharynx and larynx shall be exempt from meeting the separate requirements of items (1) and (2) of subsection (a) and items (1) and (2) of subsection (b), if he or she meets the requirements of items (3) through (8) of subsection (a), items (3) through (8) of subsection (b), and the following:

(1) The speech-language pathologist has observed 15 procedures performed by either (i) a physician who has been granted hospital privileges to perform these procedures or (ii) a speech-language pathologist who has met the requirements of items (1), (2), and (6) of subsection (b) in a licensed health care facility or a clinic affiliated with a hospital, university, college, or ASHA-approved continuing education course that has emergency medical back-up and a physician available or in the office of a physician who is available.

(2) The speech-language pathologist has successfully performed 30 procedures, at least 20 of which must be with a flexible laryngoscope and at least 5 of which must be with a rigid laryngoscope, under the direct supervision of a physician who has been granted hospital privileges to perform these procedures; provided, however, that the physician may delegate the supervision of the procedures to a speech-language pathologist who has met the requirements of subsection (a) or (c) of this Section in the case of a rigid laryngoscope or subsection (b) or (c) of this Section in the case of a flexible laryngoscope. The supervising physician shall provide written verification that the speech-language pathologist in training has successfully completed the requirements of this item (2) demonstrating the ability to perform these procedures. The speech-language pathologist shall have this written verification on file and readily available for inspection upon request by the Board.

(d) The requirements of this Section 9.3 shall not apply to the practice of speech-language pathologists in a hospital or hospital affiliate. In order to practice in a hospital or hospital affiliate, a speech-language pathologist must possess clinical privileges for flexible or rigid laryngoscope procedures recommended by the hospital or hospital affiliate medical staff and approved by the hospital or hospital affiliate governing body.

(e) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to authorize a medical diagnosis.

(f) Nothing in this Section shall preclude the use of a rigid or flexible laryngoscope for the purpose of training or research done in conjunction with a speech-language pathology program accredited by the Council for Academic Accreditation, provided that (i) emergency medical backup is available when flexible laryngoscopy is performed and (ii) such training or research is performed with the participation of either a physician who has been granted hospital privileges to perform these procedures or a speech-language pathologist who has met the requirements of items (1), (2), and (5) of subsection (a) of this Section, items (1), (2), and (6) of subsection (b) of this Section, or subsection (c) of this Section, whichever is applicable.

(g) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to allow a speech-language pathologist to use an anesthetic without specific physician authorization included in the patient referral.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/25/2009