How Federal Policy Changes Impact Audiologists, SLPs, and the People They Serve

Caroline Bergner, JD, is Director of Health Care Policy for Medicaid at ASHA. She answers ASHA member questions; tracks Medicaid policies; and advocates with state Medicaid agencies, managed care companies, Congress, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). She also works with ASHA's Committee on Medicaid and the State Advocates for Reimbursement (STAR) network. She is a Virginia-licensed attorney and has worked in health policy for more than 15 years.

Rebecca Bowen M.A., CCC-SLP, PNAP, CAE is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist with more than a decade of experience working with individuals with communication, cognition, and swallowing disorders across the lifespan. In 2019 she joined the National Center for Evidence-Based Practice at the American Speech-Language Hearing Association where she developed tools, resources, and clinical practice guidelines to steer assessment and treatment in audiology and speech-language pathology. She currently serves as ASHA’s Director of Health Care Policy, Value, and Innovation and focuses on analyzing and refining value-based care policy and advancing ASHA’s public policy agenda.

Bill Knudsen manages a range of education and health initiatives for ASHA. These include issues related to early intervention, the Food and Drug Administration (e.g., OTC hearing aids), higher education, the National Institutes of Health, school-based Medicaid, and special education. 

Sarah N. Warren, MA, is ASHA's Director of Health Care Policy for Medicare. In this role, she supports ASHA's membership by answering member questions, anticipating Medicare policy trends, advocating with Congressional leaders, and commenting on Medicare's proposed policies. She has worked on health care payment policy for nearly 20 years. Prior to joining ASHA, Warren represented inpatient rehabilitation facilities at the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association and physical therapists at the American Physical Therapy Association.

Yunfang Zheng, Sc.D., M.D., CCC-A, is a full professor and the Audiology Division Director in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Central Michigan University. Dr. Zheng’s research interests include diagnostic audiology, amplification, cochlear implants, and aural rehabilitation, with the goal of improving the quality of life for individuals with hearing difficulties. She has delivered many scientific presentations at both national and international conferences and has published in internationally recognized professional journals. Her research has been supported by awards and grants from universities, industry partners, and professional associations. She has also mentored many doctoral research projects, most of which have received awards and funding.