COM COM Interdisciplinary Collaboration & Referral Protocols 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How should a COM best coordinate care with a concurrent speech-language therapy program?
- Replace speech therapy goals with myofunctional exercises
- Share assessment data and align complementary goals to prevent conflicting approaches (Correct answer)
- Treat the patient only after speech therapy is fully completed
- Limit myofunctional therapy to structural issues only
Correct answer: Share assessment data and align complementary goals to prevent conflicting approaches
Sharing assessment findings and aligning complementary goals with the speech-language pathologist ensures that myofunctional and speech therapy approaches support rather than undermine each other.
Question 2: Why is physician medical clearance important before initiating myofunctional therapy in a medically complex patient?
- It is required only for insurance reimbursement
- It is not necessary unless the patient is over 65
- It ensures therapy is safe and clinically appropriate for the patient's medical conditions (Correct answer)
- It allows the COM to co-prescribe medications
Correct answer: It ensures therapy is safe and clinically appropriate for the patient's medical conditions
Medical clearance ensures that orofacial myofunctional therapy is both safe and appropriate for the individual patient, particularly when complex medical conditions are present.
Question 3: Which rehabilitation professional may co-treat a patient with orofacial hypotonia alongside a COM?
- Pharmacist
- Audiologist
- Dietitian
- Occupational or physical therapist (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Occupational or physical therapist
Occupational or physical therapists frequently co-treat patients with orofacial hypotonia, as they address systemic motor and sensory integration issues that directly influence orofacial function.
Question 4: What is the COM's primary contribution to a multidisciplinary cleft palate team?
- Providing dietary counseling for post-surgical nutrition
- Performing audiological assessments for conductive hearing loss
- Evaluating and treating orofacial myofunctional patterns affecting speech and feeding (Correct answer)
- Conducting palatal surgical assessments
Correct answer: Evaluating and treating orofacial myofunctional patterns affecting speech and feeding
Within a cleft palate team, the COM's primary contribution is evaluating and treating myofunctional patterns affecting speech and feeding, complementing the structural interventions of other team members.
Question 5: What is the most professional way for a COM to maintain relationships with referring providers?
- Sending regular marketing materials after each referral
- Offering financial incentives for continued referrals
- Providing timely, clear written progress reports on shared patients (Correct answer)
- Contacting referring providers only when billing disputes arise
Correct answer: Providing timely, clear written progress reports on shared patients
Providing timely written progress reports is the professional standard for maintaining referring provider relationships and ensuring coordinated, transparent patient care.
Question 6: What is the appropriate COM response when signs of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) are identified in a patient?
- Begin TMD-specific jaw exercises immediately
- Advise the patient to ignore symptoms unless pain becomes severe
- Refer the patient to a dentist or oral medicine specialist experienced in TMD management (Correct answer)
- Contact the patient's orthodontist as the sole response
Correct answer: Refer the patient to a dentist or oral medicine specialist experienced in TMD management
TMD requires referral to a dentist or oral medicine specialist for proper diagnosis and management, as this falls outside the COM's professional scope of practice.
COM COM Interdisciplinary Collaboration & Referral Protocols 2
How should a COM best coordinate care with a concurrent speech-language therapy program?