Serving Harris, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Montgomery and Galveston Counties
HOUSTON
Volume 13 | Issue 3
Inside This Issue
March Edition 2023
CMS Is Testing Three Models To Lower Prescription Drug Costs and Improve Access to Life-Changing Therapies By Mark S.
Armstrong, J.D. Polsinelli, PC
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords thanks TIRR Memorial Hermann See pg. 8
INDEX Mental Health...................... pg.3 Oncology Research......... pg.5 Healthy Heart....................... pg.7 Financial Forecast.............pg.11
From Anchorman to Ironman See pg. 10
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mericans, on average, pay two to three times as much as people in other countries for the same prescription drug. President Biden’s Executive Order 14087, directed the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to consider whether testing of new health care payment and delivery models by the Innovation Center would lower drug costs and promote access to innovative drug therapies for beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Recently, in response to the President’s Executive Order, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced that the Secretary of the
HHS has selected three new models for testing by the CMS Innovation Center to help lower the high cost of drugs, promote accessibility to life-changing drug therapies, and improve quality of care. The three models selected by
the Secretary for testing by the CMS Innovation Center address the themes outlined in the executive order and meet the selection criteria thresholds see CMS Testing...page 14
San José Clinic Receives $180,000 Grant Award from Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity
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an José Clinic today announced it is among 71 awardees that received a grant from Direct Relief’s Fund for Health Equity, which mobilizes financial resources for organizations focused on non-clinical interventions that affect a person’s health. Commonly known as the social determinants of health, these factors include an individual’s physical, social, cultural, and economic environment. The grants, which total $22.7 million and will be disbursed over
two years, were awarded with funding from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the AbbVie Foundation, and Eli Lilly and Co. to support underserved communities across the United States. San José Clinic received $180,000 from the Fund for Health Equity for its work to Eliminate Barriers to Healthcare. “This critical funding from Direct Relief allows us to expand access to care around the Greater Houston Community.” - Maureen Sanders, President & CEO of San José Clinic
“We are pleased to bolster the indispensable work of San José Clinic and other grassroots organizations striving to reduce disparities and increase equity in vulnerable populations across the United States,” said Dr. Byron Scott, MD, MBA, Co-Chair of the Fund for Health Equity and Board Director of Direct Relief and Chair of its Medical Advisory Council. see San José Clinic...page 14
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