NEWS BRIEFS
Memorial Hermann, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas ink contract
Research Forest work planned for summer
BY ANDREW CHRISTMAN
solution for the intersection. The intersection is at the border of precincts 2 and 3. Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack has indicated he would not support major modications unless they improve both safety and mobility. Riley said his intent is to get started on the project as soon as possible, and his oce is working with Montgomery County for trac synchronization. Bleyl said construction is antici- pated to begin this summer. “I want to make things better, and that is what we are going to do,” Riley said.
Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley spoke to the Shenandoah City Council on Feb. 23 about upcoming work ten- tatively planned this summer for the intersection of Research Forest Drive and Grogans Mill Road. Riley said John Bleyl and his rm, Bleyl Engineering, have been asked to redesign the right-turn lane at the intersection from Research Forest Drive onto Grogans Mill Road, which will be the rst phase of development for the project. The cost of the project is $600,000, according to Bleyl. “We are trying to make sure we are doing everything we can to get all of the trac signals synced,” Riley said. “We do not want to make things worse. We are not giving up on this intersection.” At a separate meeting on March 9, Shenandoah City Council approved a resolution opposing anything other than an at-grade
BY ANDREW CHRISTMAN
Insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and hospital group Memorial Hermann have come to a new contract agreement on March 10 following a previous failure of negotiations on March 1 that resulted in the hospital system being temporarily out of network, according to ocials. Memorial Hermann said in a previous statement that being out of network would have aected patients at more than 265 hospitals and care delivery sites, which includes Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center in Shenandoah. Memorial Hermann’s statement indicates negotiations had been ongoing for the past six months for new agreements. Memorial Hermann identied several issues it said were important to the hospital group.
Memorial Hermann and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas reached an agreement.
“While this was a challenging endeavor, it was critical to us that BCBSTX renewed its commitment to the sustainability of Memorial Hermann, [Memorial Hermann Physician Network] and our [Accountable Care Organization]— all integral resources to the health and wellbeing of the many com- munities we have proudly served for more than a century,” Justin Kendrick, senior vice president and CEO of Memorial Hermann said in a news release. As of press time March 11, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas had not responded to a request for comment.
First phase: Summer 2022
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION • MARCH 2022
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