When Access Changes: Navigating the Gap in Swallow Studies

The recent closure of Patheous Health, headquartered in Overland Park, has created a significant shift in access to instrumental swallow evaluations across our region and beyond. For years, their mobile services helped bring both Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) and Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) studies directly to patients, reducing delays and improving clinical decision-making. Their rapid growth and expansion across multiple states reflected just how essential these services had become. 

With their closure, many facilities, providers, and families are now facing a very real gap. When access to instrumental evaluations is delayed or unavailable, it can impact timely diagnosis, diet recommendations, and overall patient safety. Dysphagia is not something that can be managed by guesswork alone. Clinical bedside assessments are valuable, but they cannot replace the real-time visualization that FEES and MBS provide. Without these tools, there is increased risk for aspiration, unnecessary diet restrictions, and prolonged recovery.

This moment highlights an important truth in healthcare: access matters just as much as expertise. When one large provider steps away, it creates a ripple effect across communities. Facilities that once relied on a single vendor are now needing to quickly identify new partners to ensure continuity of care.  A more localized, relationship-driven model of care can help restore that stability, ensuring patients are not left waiting for critical answers.

At Speech and Swallowing Specialists of Kansas City (SaSSKC), we recognize both the urgency and the responsibility this creates. Our team provides mobile FEES services with a focus on timely access, collaboration with care teams, and immediate clinical feedback. We believe patients deserve answers in real time, not days or weeks later, and that facilities deserve a responsive partner they can trust.

If your facility, your patients, or your loved ones are affected by this change, we encourage you to take the next step:

• Establish a contract to ensure uninterrupted access to instrumental swallow evaluations

• Provide your patients with timely, bedside diagnostics and recommendations

• Avoid delays that can impact safety, nutrition, and quality of life

• Work with a local team invested in your community

You can get started by visiting SaSSKC.com and completing a referral form. Our team will guide you through the process and help you reestablish consistent, high-quality access to swallow evaluations.

Transitions like this can feel uncertain, but they also create an opportunity to build something more responsive and connected. Your patients deserve clarity, safety, and timely care. We are here to help make that happen.