Connecting ALS

Welcome to Connecting ALS. In this episode we are focusing on the evolution of clinical care during the COVID-19 pandemic and how telehealth has quickly moved from an ideal to a reality.

Show Notes

On this episode of Connecting ALS, Mike and Jeremy talk to Lauren Tabor Gray, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, a clinical researcher and speech pathologist and co-director of the Phil Smith Neuroscience Institute in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Dr. Gray discusses the increasing use of telehealth to treat patients in a time of extreme social distancing brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. She also gives insight on providing clinical care for people dealing with the onset of speaking and swallowing challenges as their disease progresses, and an update on clinical research.

To learn more about recent changes to Medicare rules expanding access to telehealth, check out https://alsadotorg.wordpress.com/2020/03/20/medicare-coverage-for-telehealth-visits-expanded-during-covid-19-pandemic/

You can also learn more about access to telemedicine at http://www.alsa.org/assets/pdfs/association-weekly-docs/medicare-telemedicine_factsheet.pdf

To better understand swallowing challenges and managing nutrition read http://www.alsa.org/assets/pdfs/living-with-als-manuals/lwals_08_2017.pdf

For more information on the platform trial Dr. Gray mentioned visit https://alsadotorg.wordpress.com/2020/01/17/in-case-you-missed-it-the-als-association-invests-3-million-in-first-ever-als-platform-trial-to-speed-up-clinical-trial-process/

For the article Dr. Plowman wrote in 2014 that Dr. Gray references visit https://dysphagiacafe.com/2014/10/23/nutrition-and-feeding-tube-placement-for-people-with-als-best-practice-in-clinical-decision-making/

Find a transcript of this episode on Tumblr.

This episode was produced by Garrett Tiedemann and is brought to you by The ALS Association’s national office and the Association’s Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota Chapter. 

What is Connecting ALS?

Connecting ALS is a weekly podcast produced by The ALS Association in partnership with CitizenRacecar. We aim to discuss research and technology developments, highlight advocacy efforts, and share the personal stories woven through the community.