SMART Act

Bill: 117-hr-5536
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1]
Introduced: 2021-10-08
Policy area: Health
Latest action: action_date: 2021-10-11
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-10-08
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy Act or the SMART Act</b></p> <p>This bill modifies the application of a certain Medicare payment methodology for outpatient physical therapy services and outpatient occupational therapy services that are furnished by a therapy assistant.</p> <p>Under current law, effective January 1, 2022, payment for such services is 85% of the otherwise applicable rate. The bill delays this effective date by one year and excludes services that are furnished in rural or medically underserved areas from this payment methodology.</p> <p>The bill also specifies that supervision requirements for outpatient physical therapy services that are furnished through private practice may not be more stringent for purposes of Medicare coverage than under state law.</p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 5536 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 8, 2021 Mr. Rush (for himself and Mr. Smith of Missouri ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce , and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means , for a period to be subsequently determined 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 revise certain payment rules for outpatient physical therapy and outpatient occupational therapy furnished in rural areas and medically underserved areas, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy Act or the SMART Act . 2. Revisions to outpatient physical therapy and outpatient occupational therapy (a) Preclusion of application to services furnished in rural areas and medically underserved areas Section 1834(v)(1) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395m(v)(1) ) is amended— (1) by striking January 1, 2022 and inserting January 1, 2023 ; and (2) by inserting apply to services furnished in a rural area (as defined in section 1886(d)(2)(D) or a medically underserved area (as designated pursuant to section 330(b)(3)(A) of the Public Health Service Act) or before change applicable requirements . (b) Limitation of supervision requirements Section 1861(p) of the Social Security Act, in the first sentence of the flush left matter at the end, is amended by inserting , but in no case may those conditions impose a supervision requirement that exceed any such requirement under State law after as the Secretary may find necessary .