WPS Part D achieves best audit score from CMS

The Medicare Part D prescription drug plan at WPS Health Insurance received the best audit score in the nation for 2016, according to a new report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

CMS conducted 37 program audits covering Medicare Advantage organizations, Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans, and Medicare prescription drug plans. WPS had the best overall audit score.

“The WPS Part D program is a collaborative effort that requires expertise from all aspects of the company, especially Compliance, Medicare Market Solutions, and our Pharmacy departments,” said Mike Chester, Director of Pharmacy and Business Systems in Medical Affairs. “WPS’ investment in the Pharmacy team to provide program oversight was crucial to our success.”

Michelle Littel, Manager of Medicare Product Regulations at WPS, commented on the role of teamwork in operating a successful Part D program. “I think that what makes us successful is the fact we truly act as a team. We all bring our strengths to the table and work together. We could not accomplish what we do without each other.”

Jim Baird, Vice President, Medicare Market Solutions added, “In the end, it’s all about our customers. Our goal is to provide them with the highest-quality plans and the very best customer experience. They rely on us to provide coverage for vital health care needs and we want to always be there for them.”

The WPS achievement was recognized in a May 15 story published by Bloomberg Government, a national news service that covers the government sector.

The Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans provide health care and prescription drug benefits for eligible individuals aged 65 years and older, and eligible individuals with disabilities. CMS contracts with private companies, referred to as “sponsors,” to provide these benefits to beneficiaries.

The audit evaluated WPS’ compliance in:

• Compliance program effectiveness
• Part D formulary and benefit administration
• Part D coverage determinations, appeals, and grievances

 About WPS Health Solutions

WPS Health Solutions is a nationally regarded government contractor and a leading Wisconsin not-for-profit health insurer. The WPS Health Insurance division offers affordable health plans and benefits administration. The WPS Government Health Administrators division administers Part A and B Medicare benefits for millions of seniors in multiple states, and the WPS Military and Veterans Health division serves millions more members who are active in the U.S. military, veterans and their families. In 2017, the international Ethisphere^® Institute named WPS one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies^® for the eighth straight year. For more information, please visit wpsic.com.

Lotsa Stone Fired Pizza Announces Kids Eat Free!

Mondays Kids Eat Free! 

One Free Kids’ Meal Per Purchase Of An Adult Entree, Valued At $6.49 Or More.  Kids 12 And Under Only.  A Kids Meal Is A Cheese or 1-Topping Pizza & A Drink.  Cannot Be Combined With Any Other Offers Or Promotions.  In-Store Only.

Gebhardt Building groundbreaking this Thursday

For immediate release

For information contact: Darlene Buhler (608)225-0710

Gebhardt Development would like to officially announce the groundbreaking for The Gebhardt Building and Frank Productions The Sylvee on Thursday, May 25th, 2017 at 11AM at 811 East Washington Ave.

The 8-story Gebhardt Building will have 100,000 square feet of retail and office space and Frank Production’s The Sylvee is a 50,000 square foot performance venue with offices. The building will offer premier office space in Downtown Madison; within walking distance of everything, great views of both lakes and the Capitol, and even the potential for Madison’s first rooftop helipad.

This project along with American Family’s Spark building will be the catalyst for the South Side of East Washington Avenue for years to come. This is a transformative project adding much-needed density and job growth to Capitol East District.

This is the final piece remaining from the former Don Miller auto dealership and 3rd project by Gebhardt Development on the East Washington Corridor. This is the first project from any developer on the South Side of East Washington Avenue in years.

It fulfils a long-term vision that brings alive a once-dead district by activating the area throughout the day and night. It creates a more vibrant and diverse atmosphere that bridges the Tenney Lapham and Marquette Neighborhoods with the Capitol square and East Washington Corridor. The corridor’s continued evolution is intended to cater to an under-served demographic of millennials to empty-nesters by creating the right mix of retail, offices, apartments and condos, bars/restaurants and entertainment venues. This development, along with our Constellation and Galaxie projects, and right next to the newly activated Breese Stevens Field creates a true urban infill in the most sustainable way.

It will be exciting to watch how this new project will impact not only the Capitol East District but all of Madison for many years to come.

The Second City Returns to Overture Hall

For immediate release: Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Contact: Sarah Knab | 608.258.4438

Click here for images, video and list of alumni.

The Second City Returns to Overture Hall for One Night Only

Chicago-based Comedic Ensemble to Perform their ‘Summer Blockbuster’

Madison, Wis. – The Second City’s Summer Blockbuster will play in Overture Hall for one night only on Friday, June 2, 2017, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25 and are available in person at the Overture Center Ticket Office (201 State Street), online at overture.org or by phone at 608.258.4141.

This performance features:

Jul Kostelancik

Nick Gage

Ryan Asher

Emily Fightmaster

Laurel Krabacher

Carley Moseley

Jeff Murdoch

Scott Nelson

The Second City, which opened its doors in Chicago in 1959 as a small cabaret theater, has become the most influential and prolific comedy theater, turning out stars like Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler and Wisconsin’s own Chris Farley.

With its roots in the improvisational games of Viola Spolin, The Second City developed an entirely unique way of creating and performing comedy. Founded by Spolin’s son, Paul Sills, along with Howard Alk and Bernie Sahlins, The Second City was experimental and unconventional in its approach to both theatre and comedy. At a time when mother-in-law jokes were more the fashion, The Second City railed against the conformist culture with scenes that spoke to a younger generation.

The Broadway success of Mike Nichols and Elaine May – members of The Second City’s predecessor, The Compass Players – put attention on the fledgling company. Soon, alumni of The Second City – such as Alan Arkin, Barbara Harris, Robert Klein, David Steinberg and Fred Willard – began to cement the theater’s reputation for developing the finest comedic voices of each generation. With the debut of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, populated by Second City Alums John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Gilda Radner, the theatre became internationally known for its ever-increasing roster of comedy superstars.

Soon, Second City’s sister-theater in Canada developed its own sketch comedy series, SCTV, hailed as one of the greatest comedy series of all time and featuring an all-star cast that included Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty and Rick Moranis.

By the 1980’s, The Second City had become much more than a small cabaret theater on Chicago’s north side. In the middle of the decade, The Second City would begin a new era as Second City Toronto proprietors Andrew Alexander and Len Stuart would buy out Bernie Sahlins’ interest in The Second City Chicago and set in motion a new era of innovation for the company.

Today, The Second City continues to produce the premiere comic talent in the industry. From Mike Myers to Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert to Tina Fey – The Second City imprint is felt across every entertainment medium. Additionally, The Second City has grown well beyond a single stage to become a diversified entertainment company. Second City Training Centers in Chicago, Toronto, and Los Angeles teach thousands of students every week; four touring companies perform Second City revues all over North America and abroad; Second City Communications has become an industry leader in bringing improv-based methodologies to the corporate sector; and Second City continues to create unique media in television, film and the digital realm.

For $15, attendees can come early (6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 2) for Overture’s Get Social program to expand upon their experience and receive a discounted performance ticket. A Get Social ticket activities, appetizers, themed-drinks and more. Overture’s Get Social is presented by Godfrey & Kahn, S.C.

The Second City’s Summer Blockbuster is intended for mature audiences and is part of the Mirror34 Comedy Series, with additional support from Workloud by ScheduleSoft.

OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Madison, Wisconsin, features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, ten resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in nearly 700,000 educational and artistic experiences each year. Overture.org  

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Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation Gives $82,630 in Grants So Far This Year

Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation is proud to be a part of such a giving community where good people strive to make life better for everyone. We are pleased and proud to announce that during this grant period we have given a total of $55,630 to 13 non-profit organizations. One of our priorities this giving period is to contribute to the new Waunakee Public Library in our home community, so we are pledging $150,000 to sponsor the History Hall in this exciting project. Our family business of Endres Manufacturing Company celebrated it’s 90^th birthday in 2016, so we have a long local history, and are eager to share the history of Waunakee with all visitors to the new library. Among the May grant requests awarded are:

• CareNet – $2000 for their new initiative Fathers Matter! program which encourages and supports men who are facing an unplanned pregnancy.
• Centro Hispano – $5000 for their youth programs which provide services for an estimated 250 academically under-performing students in grades 6-12.
• World CranioFacial Foundation – $250 to support a benefit concert to raise money for the cause.
• Holy Wisdom Monastery – $1000 for a tractor mounted skidder winch which is used for ecological restoration.
• Institutional Ministries – $1880 to support their program that works with incarcerated inmates to provide the returning citizen with a completed GED and provide a social readiness to enter the community and workplace.
• Lussier Center – $1500 to support their LEAP 2 College program which offers tutoring, mentoring, and family visits to close achievement gaps for elementary-school and middle-school youth.
• Madison Audubon Society – $1000 for their Forces of Nature: Empowering Kids Through Discovery program, which is a six to twelve week after-school and summer program for elementary and middle school students incorporating STEM concepts and promoting literacy.
• MadREP – $2500 for their Inspire initiative which helps students and educators gain a solid understanding of the career fields available at local businesses in Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson and Sauk Counties.
• Second Harvest Food Bank – $2500 to support their FoodShare (food stamp) Outreach program. This program now accounts for nearly 20% of total meals distributed annually.
• Vera Court Neighborhood Center – donating $5000, with a pledge to donate another $5000 next year as well to support the Vera Vision 2020 campaign, which is committed to providing the resources and support necessary to close the achievement gap for their neighborhood by 2020. This will be accomplished by doubling the size of their overcrowded center, provide one-on-one tutoring and academic case management, and obtaining educational materials and technology.
• Village of Waunakee – $2000 to complete the Waunakee downtown mural along the west-facing wall at Waunakee Furniture. This was produced by Dane Arts Mural Arts which engaged High School at-risk students, High School Art programs, and a community paint day.
• WAGS – $1000 to support their Reading Dog program, which allows students to practice the skill of reading in a relaxed setting.
• Waunakee Public Library – $30,000 with a pledge for 5 years to total $150,000 to build the new library. We will be sponsoring the new History Hall which is a public exhibition and gallery space dedicated to celebrating the history of Waunakee.

These are in addition to pledges and special gifts that were made earlier this year, totaling $27,000:

• $15,000 to Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission,
• $1,000 to sponsor a big brother or sister,
• $10,000 to the Village of Waunakee to commission artists for Trains on Main Street.
• $1000 to Edgewood High School and Queen of Peace for Cubby Wolfe’s (a long-time Foundation board member) memorial.

A sincere “THANK YOU” goes out from the Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation for the diligent work done by area non-profits to make our world a better place. We want you to know that we are sincerely grateful for your mission, your passion, and your diligence to improve the quality of life for so many people. If you know of any non-profit organizations who you think the Foundation could help, please let us know and pass on the word to those non-profits. We are here to help better the community! Grant applications can be found at www.endresmfg.com by following the foundation link. Anyone can contribute to the foundation and 100% of the funds are given back to the community.