Patient-Provider Communication for People with Severe Dysarthria: Referral Policies that Lead to Systems Change

The purpose of this article is to discuss policy and systems change for patient-provider communication (PPC) for dysarthric speakers in medical situations. Six groups of communication-vulnerable patients are described. The types of medical orders that can be employed to facilitate PPC systems change in medical settings are discussed. Finally, accountability checklists to document the patient experience and the medical facility PPC program are provided.