In the second round of these awards, CMS dishes out hundreds of millions in grants -- but claims they'll save $1.9 billion in health care costs.

CMS likes innovation, and gives out lots of grants for it. In January, for example, they named 73 "Innovation Advisors" to test out care-system improvement ideas.

Those individuals got $20,000 apiece. Winners of the Health Care Innovation Awards, which go to organizations and projects that " deliver better health, improved care and lower costs" to high-need users of government health programs, get millions.

To justify this, they're expected to save money with their programs within a three-year time frame.

For example, Asian Americans for Community Involvement gets $2,684,545 for its Patient Navigation Center, which will "train Asian and Hispanic youth and veteran AACI case workers as non-clinical health workers." These workers will contact low-income Asian-American and Hispanic residents of Santa Clara county, and provide them with "translation, appointment scheduling, referrals, transportation, and application help for social services, as well as after-hours and self-care assistance." Also, the Navigator will "create an estimated 29 jobs," says CMS.

It sounds much like the PNCs started up by hospitals elsewhere, such as at the Cleveland Clinic. But in addition to helping poor people get access to care, the California center is supposed to save $3,373,602 in three years. CMS doesn't say how, though in the case of other award-winners it provides some details -- for example, the Sepsis Early Recognition and Response Initiative at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, will "prevent progression of the disease, resulting in reduced organ failure rates, reduced mortality, reduced length of stay, improved patient outcomes, and lower cost," says CMS, thereby returning $48.2 million on its $14.4 million investment.


Editor's note: For the first batch of winners, go here. For the current batch, go here.