I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5503 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to preserve access to 
rehabilitation innovation centers under the Medicare program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 5, 2021 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY (for herself, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. NEWMAN, 
and Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to preserve 
access to rehabilitation innovation centers under the 
Medicare program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Dr. Joanne Smith Me-
morial Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PRESERVING ACCESS TO REHABILITATION INNOVA-
TION CENTERS UNDER MEDICARE. 
Section 1886(j)(7)(E) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395ww(j)(7)(E)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF DATA 
SUBMITTED.—The’’ and inserting: ‘‘PUBLIC AVAIL-
ABILITY OF DATA SUBMITTED.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The’’. 
(2) by inserting after clause (i), as redesignated 
by paragraph (1), the following new clauses: 
‘‘(ii) PUBLIC RECOGNITION OF REHA-
BILITATION
INNOVATION
CENTERS.—Be-
ginning not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this clause, the 
Secretary shall make publicly available on 
such Internet website, in addition to the 
information required to be reported on 
such website under clause (i), a list of all 
rehabilitation innovation centers, and shall 
update such list on such website not less 
frequently than biennially. In carrying out 
the activities under this clause, the Sec-
retary shall disseminate research, best 
practices, and other clinical information 
identified or developed by such rehabilita-
tion innovation centers to, as appropriate, 
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Federal agencies, hospitals, health profes-
sional organizations, and national and 
State accreditation bodies. 
‘‘(iii) REHABILITATION
INNOVATION 
CENTERS
DEFINED.—For 
purposes 
of 
clause (ii), the term ‘rehabilitation innova-
tion centers’ means a rehabilitation facility 
that, as of the applicable date (as defined 
in clause (v)), is a rehabilitation facility 
described in clause (iv). 
‘‘(iv) REHABILITATION FACILITY DE-
SCRIBED.—A rehabilitation facility de-
scribed in this clause is a rehabilitation fa-
cility that— 
‘‘(I) is classified as a rehabilita-
tion facility under the IRF Rate Set-
ting File for the Inpatient Rehabilita-
tion Facility Prospective Payment 
System for Federal Fiscal Year 2019 
(83 Fed. Reg. 38514), or any suc-
cessor regulations that contain such 
information; 
‘‘(II) holds, as of the applicable 
date at least one Federal rehabilita-
tion research and training designation 
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for research projects on traumatic 
brain injury or spinal cord injury 
from the National Institute on Dis-
ability, Independent Living and Reha-
bilitation Research at the Department 
of Health and Human Services, based 
on such data submitted to the Sec-
retary by a facility, in a form, man-
ner, and time frame specified by the 
Secretary; 
‘‘(III) submits to the Secretary a 
description of the clinical research en-
terprise of the facility and a summary 
of research activities of the facility 
that are supported by Federal agen-
cies; 
‘‘(IV) has a minimum Medicare 
estimated weight per discharge of 
1.20 for the most recent fiscal year 
for which such information is avail-
able according to the IRF Rate Set-
ting File described in subclause (I), or 
any successor regulations that contain 
such information; and 
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‘‘(V) has a minimum teaching 
status of 0.075 for the most recent 
fiscal year for which such information 
is available according to the IRF Rate 
Setting File described in subclause 
(I), or any successor regulations that 
contain such information. 
‘‘(v) APPLICABLE
DATE
DEFINED.— 
For purposes of clauses (iii) and (iv) the 
term ‘applicable date’ means— 
‘‘(I) with respect to the initial 
publication of a list under clause (ii), 
the date of the enactment of such 
clause; and 
‘‘(II) with respect to the publica-
tion of an updated list under clause 
(ii), a date specified by the Secretary 
that is not more than 1 year prior to 
the date of such publication. 
‘‘(vi) 
IMPLEMENTATION.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law the 
Secretary may implement clauses (ii) 
through (v) by program instruction or oth-
erwise. 
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‘‘(vii) NONAPPLICATION
OF
PAPER-
WORK
REDUCTION
ACT.—Chapter 35 of 
title 44, United States Code, shall not 
apply to data collected under clauses (ii) 
through (iv). 
‘‘(viii) 
REPORT.—Not 
later 
than 
March 15, 2022, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall submit to Con-
gress a report with any recommendations 
for such legislation and administrative ac-
tion as the Secretary determines appro-
priate to preserve access to the rehabilita-
tion innovation centers (as defined in 
clause (iii)).’’. 
Æ 
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