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Lessons from ASHA’s ethics cases highlight why clinicians in any discipline should track association standards as closely as licensure rules.
Most licensed individuals focus on staying compliant with their state licensing board’s rules, and for good reason. State agencies hold the power to suspend or revoke a license, so it’s natural to prioritize their requirements. But many healthcare professionals also belong to a professional association, such as the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), that sets its own ethical standards. Failing to follow those standards can have serious, and sometimes unexpected, consequences.
ASHA is not a state licensing board, but its actions carry weight. If ASHA’s Board of Ethics sanctions a clinician, that decision may be reported to the relevant state board, which can lead to additional discipline or license restrictions.
In recent years, ASHA has stepped up its efforts to review licensees’ conduct and impose sanctions. Some sanctions have included suspensions or even revocations of certification. That’s why it’s more important than ever to understand where professionals most often go wrong and how to stay in the clear.
Common Types of Ethics Violations in Healthcare Professions
While the specifics vary by profession, certain categories of ethics violations appear repeatedly in enforcement actions. The examples below are drawn from ASHA, but clinicians in other disciplines will recognize similar themes in their own codes of ethics. Understanding these patterns can help you spot risks in your practice and avoid costly mistakes.
Poor Documentation or Failure to Furnish Records
ASHA requires members to keep timely, truthful, and complete documentation. Violations could include:
- Forgetting to complete a session note.
- Failing to record services or products provided accurately.
- Misrepresenting services provided or products dispensed.
- Fraudulently documenting in patient records services that never took place.
Even a documentation lapse that seems minor—like a missed note—can lead to sanctions. And when documentation errors stem from fraudulent behavior, ASHA may impose some of its most severe penalties, including suspension or revocation of certification.
In these cases, certification is not automatically reinstated once the penalty period ends. Instead, the individual must petition ASHA’s Board of Ethics for reinstatement, which is a time-consuming and uncertain process.
Misrepresentation and Billing for Services Not Provided
ASHA’s Code of Ethics states that members must not:
- Misrepresent diagnostic information, services, results, or products
- Defraud or attempt to defraud any person or payer in connection with services or research
Violations of these provisions have led to some of ASHA’s harshest penalties. For example, the Board of Ethics has sanctioned individuals for billing for services or products that they didn’t provide, as well as for submitting claims that misrepresented the type or amount of care actually delivered. Sanctions can include long-term revocations of membership and certification — sometimes for up to 10 years — with reinstatement possible only through a formal petition process.
As with documentation-based sanctions, the clinician must petition the Board of Ethics for reinstatement after the revocation period.
Failure to Self-Report Discipline or Licensure Issues
If your state licensing board has already imposed discipline, you might think you’ve done everything necessary by complying with those sanctions. But under ASHA’s Code of Ethics, you’re also required to self-report that discipline to the association within 60 days.
This obligation applies even if your license wasn’t revoked and even if you believe the issue is resolved. ASHA interprets the term “public discipline” broadly, so if you’re unsure whether your situation qualifies, it’s worth contacting ASHA before the 60-day clock runs out.
Some state licensing boards automatically report their disciplinary actions to professional associations, particularly those that grant certifications such as ASHA. Even without self-reporting, there’s often a good chance the association will learn of the action through direct board notifications or by monitoring public disciplinary records. That means the safest approach is to make the required report yourself rather than risk a separate ethics violation for failing to do so.
The High Cost of Non-Compliance
ASHA’s enforcement activity sends a clear message: professional ethics compliance isn’t optional, and violations carry real risks. Responding to a complaint is time-consuming, stressful, and expensive, especially if you appeal a decision or face additional action from your state board.
Too often, clinicians overlook the need to monitor association ethics rules alongside state licensing rules. But ASHA’s Code of Ethics is not a secondary consideration. If you hold the CCC-A or CCC-SLP credential, it’s essential to stay current with your ethical obligations.
Get Legal Support
If you receive an ethics complaint or disciplinary action from a professional association or state licensing board, it’s crucial to understand the potential consequences. A healthcare lawyer can help you navigate the next steps and ongoing compliance requirements. If you operate in a state where we have licensed attorneys, you can schedule a consultation to talk through your options.
This blog is made for educational purposes and is not intended to be specific legal advice to any particular person. It does not create an attorney-client relationship between our firm and the reader. It should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.
