Bedside FEES swallow studies for Ohio facilities, scheduled within 72 hours
Safe Swallowing Diagnostics brings flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing to your residents’ bedside. You skip the hospital transport, get answers on the same day, and receive a clear report your team can act on.
Therapist-owned · Led by Jeanette Benigas, PhD, SLP · No cancellation fees · No volume minimums
Why Ohio facilities switch to mobile FEES
- No transport. The study happens in the resident’s room.
- Answers at bedside. You get diet and strategy decisions on the same day.
- Report within 48 business hours, sent by HIPAA-compliant email.
- You work with the founder. Dr. Benigas is your direct contact.
- No charge if a patient can’t complete the study.
A gold-standard swallow study, done in the resident’s room
A FEES study uses a small, flexible scope passed through the nose so we can see swallowing safety and aspiration risk in real time while your resident eats their own food. No radiation and no trip to the hospital are needed, and your SLP can watch every swallow alongside us. Learn how mobile FEES works →
Keep residents in-house
Avoid ambulette costs, staff escorts, missed therapy, and the disorientation a hospital trip can cause for residents with dementia.
See what bedside exams can’t
Silent aspiration, residue, secretion management, and the effect of strategies can all be seen directly instead of guessed at.
Protect your PDPM margin
An accurate diagnosis early in the stay focuses therapy, frees up restrictive diets, and prevents avoidable complications.
From referral to report in three steps
Your SLP starts the referral
Partner facilities get a simple referral process during onboarding. Because the treating SLP starts every referral, each study is clinically appropriate.
We come to your bedside
The study is scheduled within 72 hours. It is done in the resident’s room, and we make clinical decisions together with your SLP in real time.
You get an actionable report
The report includes diet recommendations, swallowing strategies, and therapy targets based on pathophysiology. It arrives the same day or within 48 business hours.
One process across every building you run
Whether you run one building or twenty, we standardize scheduling, report routing, and billing, so your rehab directors don’t have to manage another vendor.
- Billing can be centralized at corporate or handled per facility
- No minimum volume across buildings
- Standardized clinical protocols and report format
- Direct SLP-to-SLP communication that cuts admin work
Instrumental assessment often frees residents from restrictive diets
A 2024 study in Dysphagia reviewed mobile FEES reports from skilled nursing facilities. More than half of residents who were on thickened liquids were recommended a less restrictive liquid after FEES. Most residents on altered food textures were also advanced.
Source: Hopkins-Rossabi T, et al. “Analysis of Patients’ Dietary Status/Restrictions Following Instrumental Swallow Evaluations in Skilled Nursing Facilities.” Dysphagia, 2024.
Led by Jeanette Benigas, PhD, SLP
Dr. Benigas brings two decades of clinical experience to every study. She is a former full professor with an Ohio State PhD focused on swallowing disorders, adult neurogenic disorders, and aging. Her research centers on helping people with dementia eat and drink safely, with as few restrictions as possible. When you text a referral, you reach her directly. She performs studies herself, with one per diem clinician who follows the same protocol and report format.
Meet Dr. BenigasFEES FAQ for Ohio facilities
What is a FEES swallow study?
FEES (Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing, also called Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing) is a bedside instrumental swallow study. A thin, flexible scope is passed through the nose so the clinician can watch the throat and airway in real time while the resident eats and drinks real food and liquid. There is no radiation and no barium.
Who places the order for FEES?
The physician or nurse practitioner signs the order. The facility SLP initiates the referral with us so that every study is clinically appropriate and the treating therapist can collaborate during the exam.
How quickly can you see a patient?
Studies are scheduled within 72 hours of referral, and often within 24–48 hours. You do not need to batch multiple patients for us to come out; single studies are scheduled within 1–2 business days.
How fast do we get results?
You get clinical answers at bedside during the study, and the written report is delivered the same day or within 48 business hours by HIPAA-compliant email to the physician and facility contacts you designate.
Does FEES replace a modified barium swallow (MBS)?
FEES complements MBS. Both are instrumental assessments. FEES is often preferred in skilled nursing because it is done at bedside, uses no radiation, uses the resident’s real food, and gives immediate results. MBS is still the right test when the oral or esophageal phases need to be seen. Compare FEES and MBS.
Ready to bring FEES to your building?
Ask about adding your building, or book an in-service for your rehab team.