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MOBILE SWALLOWING EVALUATIONS

Delivering the gold standard in dysphagia assessment to adults in Long Island, NY 

Stroke • Brain Injury • Head & Neck Cancer • Dementia • ALS • Parkinson's Disease • NPO

What is Dysphagia?

Dysphagia is the medical term for a swallowing disorder. It can be caused by a stroke, brain injury, dementia, ALS, Parkinson's Disease, head and neck cancer, radiation, or even certain medications. Some signs and symptoms of dysphagia include:

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  • Food getting "stuck" when swallowing

  • Trouble swallowing foods, drinks, pills, etc. 

  • Frequent coughing while eating or drinking

  • Foods or drinks "going down the wrong pipe" 

  • Weight loss or reduced food/drink consumption

  • Fatigue during meals

  • Regurgitating or feeling food/drink coming back up after swallowing

  • Aspiration pneumonia 

What is FEES?

When performing a Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) we gently slide a narrow, flexible camera along the bottom of your nose to view the throat from above while you eat and drink. This allows us to see the structures of the throat and detect any abnormalities in swallow function. During the evaluation, you will be given a variety of foods and liquids that contain a small bit of food coloring so that we can see and record exactly where they travel when you swallow. 

 

Complete Scope administers FEES assessments in your home, assisted living facility, skilled nursing facility, or medical office. Once the exam is over, we will immediately review your FEES video to discuss the results, share our professional recommendations, and provide you with a detailed written report. 

FEES vs Other Swallowing Assessments

FEES is quick, easy, and conveniently mobile! Complete Scope will bring all of the equipment to you and share the results immediately after the test.

 

While a clinical swallow evaluation can only give us information about the "oral stage" of swallowing (biting and chewing), instrumental assessments allow us to visualize further down in the throat to see the "pharyngeal stage" of swallowing and identify aspiration. FEES, unlike other instrumental swallowing assessments, does not require that you travel to a hospital imaging center or expose you to radiation - so the evaluation can also be repeated to measure therapy progress without risk. 

Man who participated in a mobile FEES evaluation to assess his swallowing function
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Patient Benefits

Mobile FEES offers many benefits to patients with voice, swallowing, or reflux related challenges.

 

  • Can conveniently be completed in the most comfortable location and position for the patient

  • Quick, minimally invasive, and relatively comfortable with minimal risks

  • No exposure to radiation or barium

  • No time limitations, allowing us to assess factors such as fatigue during meals

  • Same-day, detailed report of diagnosis, diet recommendations, and treatment plan

  • May reduce chances of being placed on an unnecessary modified diet and/or reduce the need for tube feeding

  • Highly accurate in diagnosing dysphagia, characterizing swallowing function, and detecting aspiration 

  • Helps determine if referrals to an ENT or gastroenterologist are needed

  • Can be used to provide feedback during therapy

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Facility Benefits

Using mobile FEES, Complete Scope is proud to offer the following benefits to your medical facility:

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  • Minimal wait time from time of request (1-2 days)

  • Can be done on even the most complex patients with few contraindications (e.g., bed-bound, on isolation, feeding tubes, dependent on trach/vent, stroke, dementia, morbid obesity, positioning complications, etc.)

  • May reduce the cost of providing unnecessary diet modifications (average cost of thickened liquids for one patient is $230/month) or expensive tube feedings (average cost per patient is $400/month)

  • Lower cost alternative to video swallow studies (FEES is approximately 1/4 of the cost of a VFSS/MBSS, which typically costs an average of $1,600 per procedure) and does not require additional transportation or staffing costs

  • Same-day, detailed report of diagnosis, diet recommendations, and individualized treatment plan to maximize reimbursement

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Getting Started with Mobile FEES

Complete Scope Speech & Swallowing Services travels to serve patients throughout Long Island, including Nassau and Suffolk as well as Queens and the Bronx.

Are you interested in mobile FEES services for your patients?

​We offer demonstrations and can come to meet with your facility directors in person if requested.

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  1. Contact us via email or fill out this form here. 

  2. We will set up a Contract for Service with your facility to provide FEES at a contracted rate.

  3. Once your contract is established, scheduling a FEES for your patients is simple! Call, text, or email a request to KalmstromSLP@gmail.com.

  4. We will be on-site within 48 hours of the request.

  5. Following the assessment, a diagnostic report with recommendations will be provided within 24 hours.

 

If you have questions or need more information about who is a candidate for FEES, contact us today!

How does billing work for your facility or practice?

Your facility will receive an invoice listing each FEES procedure at the contracted rate. Payment to Complete Scope Speech & Swallowing Services is made by the facility, regardless of the patients' payer sources. Please note the following:

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  • FEES provided by Complete Scope is considered a therapy service and falls under Medicare Consolidated Billing guidelines for your facility.

  • Per Medicare Consolidated Billing, Complete Scope is unable to bill insurance companies for services provided to patients while in your facility.

  • Medicare B considers FEES a therapy procedure; as such, your facility may be able to bill for FEES using CPT code 92612 paired with ICD-10 R13.12 for Oropharyngeal Dysphagia as determined by your facility's biller.

  • Your facility’s SLP may bill CPT 92526 if they provide dysphagia treatment concurrently.

  • If we are unable to pass the scope to complete the exam, you will not be charged.

QUESTIONS? CONTACT COMPLETE SCOPE SPEECH & SWALLOWING SERVICES TO LEARN MORE!

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