UAB Medicine Spain Rehabilitation Center is one of only 10 rehabilitation hospitals in the country designated as a Rehabilitation Innovation Center formed to change the face of clinical care for Americans with disabilities.
On January 5, 2023, the United States Congress signed into law the Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act. Under the Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services identifies those Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities that meet the criteria to be Rehabilitation Innovation Centers, disseminate research, best practices and lessons from these Centers, and deliver a report to Congress on actions to preserve patient access to these Centers. As our federal health care system moves away from the fee-for-service payment model and towards more value-based care, the study directed by this legislation will shape the future direction of post-acute care.
The Coalition’s mission is to revolutionize clinical care for Americans with disabilities, now and in the future. Central to this effort is generating and disseminating transformative research and innovation; facilitating knowledge transfer through exemplary formal and experiential training for clinicians and caregivers; and sharing best practices and improved standards of care for complex rehabilitation needs through collaborative partnerships among Rehabilitation Innovation Centers and with leading governmental agencies as well as other appropriate organizations. The result is greater efficiency and heightened discovery to maximize patient outcomes.
“UAB Medicine is a nationally recognized large data rehabilitation research powerhouse with over half a century of experience. We are excited to be a member of the RICC. This will allow us to partner with similarly equipped institutions to study and assess innovative treatments on a national scale,” stated Vu Nguyen, M.D., UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation chairperson. “It will allow us to inform our national policy leaders and decision makers on optimal care pathways for patients with chronic disabling conditions.”
In the next two years, the Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Coalition members will collectively and more effectively engage CMS to offer substantive input as CMS drafts its report, thereby serving as a trusted resource to the agency and thought leader in the field. Long term, RICC member institutions will benefit from designing and executing on clinical research, training, and improved patient care.
Other coalition members include Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, TIRR Memorial Hermann, MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Rehabilitation Institute, Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance - Mount Sinai Health System, Mayo Clinic, and University of Washington Medicine.
UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center ranked No. 19 among the country’s top rehabilitation hospitals in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospital rankings for 2022-2023. Spain Rehabilitation provides state-of-the-art inpatient and outpatient care and conducts important research to help improve the long-term function and quality of life for patients with an injury or disability. Spain Rehab is the hub for UAB Medicine’s Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, Spinal Cord Injury Model System, and the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Data Center.