ASHA defines telepractice as "the application of telecommunications
technology to delivery of professional services at a distance by linking
clinician to client, or clinician to clinician, for assessment,
intervention, and/or consultation."
ASHA's position is that "telepractice is an appropriate model of
service delivery for the professions of speech-language pathology [and
audiology]. Telepractice may be used to overcome barriers of access to
services caused by distance, unavailability of specialists and/or
subspecialists, and impaired mobility."
Telepractice offers "the potential to extend clinical services to
remote, rural, and underserved populations, and to culturally and
linguistically diverse populations."
"The use of telepractice does not remove any existing
responsibilities in delivering services, including adherence to the Code
of Ethics, Scope of Practice, state and federal laws (e.g., licensure,
HIPAA, etc.), and ASHA policy documents on professional practices."
Therefore, "the quality of services delivered via telepractice must
be consistent with the quality of services delivered face-to-face."
