Dysphagia Management Systems is a local speech pathology business that specializes in swallowing issues. Founded in 1992 by Carol Ghiglieri Winchester, MS, SLP, CCC, Dysphagia Management Systems, or DMS, has served patients in nursing homes, hospitals, physician’s offices, and rehab hospitals in multiple states. Now, they have opened an outpatient clinic right here in Sarasota.
Until recently, DMS could only serve patients with a doctor’s referral. Under today’s regulations, a doctor’s referral for initial diagnostics is no longer necessary. Now patients afflicted by swallowing issues can be served directly, just as dentists and dermatologists serve patients with their respective issues.
What is Dysphagia?
Dysphagia is simply the medical term for trouble swallowing.
Is DMS covered by Medicare?
You bet.
Does DMS take insurance?
The answer is yes.
Don’t have insurance?
Don’t worry, DMS’s prices are affordable for patients who plan to pay out-of-pocket.
So, what does DMS do?
For years, DMS specialized in providing the Dysphagia Systems Test, or the DST, to its contracted facilities throughout the country. The DST involves performing an endoscopy through the patient’s nasal passage,; the patient then eats and drinks, and the DMS swallowing specialist monitors the patient’s swallow. Afterward, the DMS swallowing specialist recommends therapies that can improve the patient’s swallowing safety, including prescribing types of food and drink that won’t cause choking.
How do I know if I need a DST?
Coughing, choking, clearing the throat, and repeated congestion are obvious signs. Swallowing issues are the result of other afflictions and the treatments of those afflictions. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy may benefit from a DST before their treatment begins. Same goes for patients with neurological conditions such as MS, Parkinson’s, ALS, and dementia, as well as patients taking multiple medications. These afflictions disrupt the systems of the body and will often inevitably affect the process of swallowing.
What does therapy with DMS help to prevent?
If you don’t swallow correctly, then food and liquids can end up in your lungs, which can cause serious issues such as choking and pneumonia, which can be deadly.
Do I need to be a nursing home patient to receive a DST or therapy?
No. DMS now has a clinic in south Sarasota, just off of Clark Road at Sawyer Road. The facility is sanitized daily, and all DMS staff are required to wear PPE and observe safety protocols while performing the DST.
