As we alerted you to in previous messages, the American Medical Association (AMA) was developing an audiology scope of practice document. That document has now been released in draft form and AMA has invited comments. The stated intention by AMA is that the document "serve as a resource for state medical associations, national medical specialty societies and policymakers." The full text of AMA's document can be accessed on ASHA's Web site.
ASHA does not believe that AMA is the appropriate source of audiology scope of practice information. Rather, we believe that experts within the audiology profession should be the source of this information. We believe that this document does not serve the interests of audiologists or those with communications disorders.
We are currently drafting a response. In addition to our direct response to AMA, ASHA will also provide feedback to AMA through the Coalition for Patient Rights (CPR), an organization that ASHA helped establish in 2006 and that includes more than 35 organizations representing more than one million non-physician, health-care providers. As you may remember from our earlier messages, the CPR was created to counter efforts by the AMA Scope of Practice Initiative to limit patient choice of health care providers.
We are also in the process of seeking comments from other audiology organizations. If you have suggestions for us to include in our comments about the AMA scope of practice document, please share those with ASHA's Chief Staff Officer for Audiology Vic Gladstone.
We will keep you posted regarding ASHA's response to this document and any other further developments regarding this situation.
Sue Hale
ASHA President
