WPS and Kiio team up to tackle pain

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-977-7343
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

Dara Shulman
Head of Marketing
608-467-4617
dshulman@kiio.com

WPS and Kiio team up to tackle pain
WPS offers Kiio’s digital musculoskeletal (MSK) care to employees and employer groups to reduce pain and its associated costs

MADISON, Wis.—June 3, 2021—WPS Health Insurance, one of the largest benefits providers in Wisconsin, has partnered with Kiio to offer digital musculoskeletal (MSK) care to its employees and self-insured employer groups. As COVID-19 has accelerated the demand for virtual health care and digital solutions, WPS sees Kiio as a key part of its strategy to innovate with technology-based solutions that keep its customers as healthy as possible. WPS chose Kiio for its customer-focused approach, proven clinical and financial outcomes, and depth of experience working with health plans.

“WPS is committed to providing solutions to our customers that both increase the quality of their lives and tackle the rising cost of health care,” says Dr. Jonah Fox, WPS Medical Director. “Kiio allows WPS to offer customers a simple, effective, evidence-based solution to prevent and manage musculoskeletal pain while also providing  them with greater flexibility in how and where they receive care.”

With Kiio, customers can immediately access pain relief without appointments, medications or invasive diagnostics and procedures. Kiio combines clinical protocols and technology to deliver on-demand, personalized therapeutic exercise, education and interactive virtual coaching. Kiio’s AI dynamically adapts the program to customer feedback—personalizes secure messages, proactively coaches with in-app alerts, monitors progress and advances customers as they feel better. Available 24/7 with just a smart device, Kiio enables customers to choose when and where their MSK program works best for them, including choosing live 1:1 Care Team support if or when customers want it.

“Kiio’s customer-centric approach matches how WPS builds care around our customers’ needs,” mentions Jim Baird, Executive Vice President of WPS Health Insurance. “During COVID we’ve seen customers who have needed to put off appointments, including orthopedics and physical therapy. Offering Kiio enables WPS to get proactive in getting customers moving and in controlling MSK spend, a significant cost driver for our employer groups and for plans and employers across the nation.”

Kiio has a proven track record of delivering value—both short- and long-term—to its members and its health plan and employer clients. More than 60% of members have less pain within one week of using Kiio, and 92% say they would recommend Kiio to a friend. Kiio has completed four longitudinal claims-data studies with clients, which demonstrated between 42% and 72% lower medical spend within a year and up to 87% lower opioid use for those who used Kiio.

Kiio CEO Lydia Zeller is enthusiastic about the outcomes WPS and Kiio will achieve in their collaboration. “Kiio values WPS’ dedication to its members’ care and its innovative approach to population health,” said Zeller. “We look forward to the impact WPS and Kiio can have in reducing pain, improving productivity and curbing MSK costs in serving WPS’ employees and as a WPS benefit offered to self-funded employer groups.”

About WPS Health Insurance

As one of the largest health benefits providers in the state, Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Insurance) remains not-for-profit and offers high-quality health plans to the public and private sectors. Headquartered in Madison, Wis., WPS Health Insurance has more than 3,400 employees. WPS Health Insurance offers Preferred Provider Organization health plans for individuals and groups, third-party administrator services, plus Medicare supplement plans and Medicare prescription drug plans. Visit wpshealth.com for more information.

About WPS Health Plan

WPS Health Plan, Inc. (WPS Health Plan) is a fresh choice in a crowd of big, impersonal, national health insurance giants. Based in Green Bay, Wis., WPS Health Plan continues its tradition of Wisconsin-based service and is always looking for ways to make owning and using health insurance easier. WPS Health Plan offers Health Maintenance Organization and Point-of-Service plans to the group and individual markets in eastern and north-central Wisconsin, plus third-party administrator services. Visit wpshealth.com/healthplan for more information.

About Kiio

Kiio is changing the way employers, health plans and members manage musculoskeletal (MSK) pain. With Kiio members can immediately take control of their pain and improve function of their back, knees, neck, and hips. No waiting on shipped sensors or scheduling triage calls. Everything that members need is available 24/7 via mobile app. Members receive personalized, progressive exercise therapy, education and digital support with access to 1:1 coaching. Convenient, easy-to-use, inclusive and scalable, Kiio’s evidence-based solution is proven to drive better outcomes at lower costs. Claims-based studies show Kiio significantly reduces pain, opioid use and medical spend while improving function, productivity, and quality of life. Learn more at Kiio.com.

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Kraus-Anderson begins construction of new Winston Knolls School in Elgin, Ill.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Gail Shore
(612) 770-4106
Shore to Shore Communications, Inc.
gshore@winternet.com

Kraus-Anderson begins construction of new Winston Knolls School in Elgin, Ill.
School designed for special needs students with autism

ELGIN, Ill.  (May 2021) –  Kraus-Anderson (KA) Madison has begun construction on a new $2 million school committed to specialized education programming and professional services for children with autism. The Winston Knolls Foundation purchased the school for its supported organization, The Winston Knolls School. The new school is located at 1500 Executive Drive in Elgin, Ill.

Tucked in a quiet neighborhood on 2.5 acres, the new school’s layout and building flow have been purposefully planned for the needs of its students and staff. Winston Knolls School will include three courtyards, an activities field space and a specifically designed playground inside the walls of the exterior courtyard. The building also will have advanced safety and security features.

Designed by Haley Bender Patton & Been Architects, the unique architecture of the 18,176-square-foot building will provide students and staff with total privacy without sacrificing natural light.  Every classroom faces an exterior courtyard, with sliding glass doors to allow access to the private exterior courtyard so students can be close to nature and green space without sacrificing privacy or security.

The second floor will include a dedicated gymnasium and a large, flexible multipurpose space that can be configured for adapted physical education activities, after-school events and celebrations.

The new site also features a private parking lot without through traffic, and with student drop-off and pick-up in a safer closed-loop system.

The new Winston Knolls School will be operational to begin the 2022-2023 school year.

The Winston Knolls School is one of dozens of major K-12 construction projects KA will work on this year during its “Summer Sprint,” a critical, concentrated time during the summer months when school is not in session and when crews can perform work that ranges from new school construction to upgrades to deferred maintenance projects.

KA continues to lead the field of regional education construction projects and is currently ranked 12th in the nation in the construction of K-12 facilities by Building Design and Construction magazine.  Over the past five years, KA has completed over $1 billion in K-12 projects.   KA’s comprehensive school construction services include facility analysis and budget approaches, leading to informed and successful referendum initiatives.

COVID-19: KRAUS-ANDERSON’S COMMITMENT TO JOB SAFETY

As the world continues to deal with and adapt to the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kraus-Anderson’s top priority remains safety. The company has implemented stringent social distancing practices and other elevated safety protocol on construction job sites, details of which can be found at https://www.krausanderson.com/about/kraus-anderson-responds-to-covid-19/​.

About Kraus-Anderson

Established in 1897, Kraus-Anderson® Construction Company (www.krausanderson.com) is one of the nation’s premier commercial general contractors and construction managers. Kraus-Anderson, an Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action employer, is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and has regional offices in Madison, Wis., Bismarck, N.D., and Duluth, Bemidji and Rochester Minn.

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Wisconsin Union: Paddling Rentals, Yoga and Group Outdoors Experiences to Begin at Outdoor UW After Summer 2020 Hiatus Due to COVID-19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2021

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Communications Director
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-8862

PADDLING RENTALS, YOGA AND GROUP OUTDOORS EXPERIENCES TO BEGIN AT OUTDOOR UW AFTER SUMMER 2020 HIATUS DUE TO COVID-19

MADISON – The Outdoor UW docks are back in Lake Mendota, the outdoor recreation equipment is cleaned and ready, and adventures on water and land await with Outdoor UW. 

As of May 31, Outdoor UW, the Wisconsin Union’s outlet to the outdoors, will begin offering its summer paddling rentals from its Memorial Union service desk. Its summer rental options include tandem kayaks, single kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards, and eight-person stand-up paddleboards. Customers can begin making reservations on May 26 online, by phone at (608) 262-1630 or by email. 

The Outdoor UW team offers year-round camping, hiking and climbing equipment rentals as well as snowshoe rentals each winter. 

The team recommends that customers make advance reservations but can accommodate reservations made on-site at the Outdoor UW service desk on the lower level of Memorial Union, as capacity allows. 

The docks near the Outdoor UW’s entrance at Memorial Union are only available to Outdoor UW’s customers and the Union’s outdoor recreation clubs, providing customers with access to Lake Mendota to enjoy their paddling equipment from Outdoor UW. In addition, trained outdoor recreation professionals are on-site to help customers of all experience levels enjoy their Outdoor UW experiences. 

The team will begin holding private outdoor group experiences by reservation on June 7. Group experience offerings include group paddling; an adventure on an eight-person stand-up paddleboard, called SUP Squatch; a group meeting on Lake Mendota with a lesson of paddling basics included; paddling games, including team-building opportunities; private introductions to paddling lessons; private yoga classes; and custom outdoor recreation group experiences. 

The team will also host open paddle events, including Family Nights every Tuesday from 4-6 p.m. from June 15 to Aug. 24. Family Night includes games, sightseeing and learning paddling skills.

For the health and safety of its customers, the Outdoor UW team inspects, cleans and sanitizes camping gear and paddling equipment upon rental return and uses its lifejackets on a rotating schedule to ensure they are not reused within the same day. All Outdoor UW staff and guests are required to follow Union and campus public health policies. The team will continue to monitor health and safety guidelines and will provide current practices in customers’ confirmation emails. 

Outdoor UW will also host in-person yoga at Memorial Union and stand-up paddleboard yoga classes on Lake Mendota in partnership with University Recreation & Wellbeing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Registration for each class opens 48 hours before the class. Those interested in participating can learn more here. 

The team’s services also include paddle craft storage at Willow Beach and University Bay. Individuals can purchase a seasonal storage space to keep their canoes or kayaks at these locations next to Lake Mendota. Customers can contact Outdoor UW at (608) 262-1630 or by email to learn more about available storage space. 

“We can support customers in many ways that they can enjoy the outdoors, whether someone wants to rent camping equipment for an adventure at one of our state’s beautiful campgrounds or to rent kayaks for an immediate trip on Lake Mendota,” Jill Griffis, outdoor recreation advisor and Hoofer club advisor at Outdoor UW. “No matter the skill or experience level, everyone can enjoy Wisconsin’s outdoors.”

During the summer of 2020, when the team would usually expand its offerings to include paddling rentals, the team’s paddling equipment remained in storage, as the world contended with a pandemic. The team members determined that paddling equipment rentals would not occur that summer out of an abundance of caution and to allow for time to revise paddling equipment health and safety practices in light of COVID-19 for summer 2021.

In September 2020, Memorial Union and Union South opened to UW-Madison students, staff and faculty and remained limited to these members of the campus community until May 10. During this time of limited access, the Outdoor UW team worked together to implement new health and safety practices and offered camping equipment rentals and winter recreation rentals to students, staff and faculty and their guests for off-site use during the 2020-21 academic year. 

The team also continued to advise student and community leaders in the Union’s outdoor recreation clubs, called the Wisconsin Hoofers, as well as provide virtual learning and connection opportunities for the community. 

Those who would like to learn more about Outdoor UW’s services can visit union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/outdoor-uw.  

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About Outdoor UW

Outdoor UW is the Wisconsin Union’s outlet to the outdoors, offering everything from outdoor recreation equipment rentals to custom group outdoors experiences. The Outdoor UW team also advises six outdoors clubs, which make up the Wisconsin Hoofers, and Hoofer Council, the governing body of the Hoofers. Outdoor UW is part of the Wisconsin Union, which is the UW-Madison Division of Social Education. Learn more about Outdoor UW: union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/outdoor-uw. 

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/outdoor-uw-2021.

WPS Health Insurance selects Welldoc to offer new digital health management solution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-977-7343
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

WPS Health Insurance selects Welldoc to offer new digital health management solution

MADISON, Wis.—May 25, 2021—WPS Health Insurance and WPS Health Plan selected Welldoc®, a trailblazer in digital health, to offer a new, comprehensive chronic conditions digital health solution to a pilot group of self-funded employers in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Welldoc’s single platform provides a holistic, evidence-based approach for pre-diabetes, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, and behavioral health. By leveraging the power of data, AI and clinical science, individuals with chronic conditions receive real-time, personalized digital coaching to self-manage their health and better coordinate with health care providers in meeting their treatment goals.

WPS Health Insurance is one of the largest health benefits providers in Wisconsin and offers health plans to the public and private sectors. WPS is focused on leveraging digital and data-driven approaches to help customers improve their overall health and wellness. Welldoc’s digital health offering will help the pilot participants manage their chronic conditions through meaningful insights and behavioral changes.

“WPS is at the forefront of offering flexible, cost-effective health solutions to their members in the Midwest. Their focus on community-based solutions pairs with Welldoc’s efforts to provide an evidence-based care model that can address gaps in care and reach at-risk populations,” says Welldoc’s Chief Operating Officer, Keith Reynolds. “We are encouraged by WPS’ mission to deliver affordable health care to their members. Our digital health solution will empower WPS members who are managing multiple comorbidities and providers who are working to effectively manage population health.”

“We want our members to take control of their health. The Welldoc app and tailored, real-time feedback will allow people to actively manage their conditions with a trusted partner,” said Jim Baird, Executive Vice President of WPS Health Insurance. “With the great majority of annual health care costs driven by chronic and mental health conditions, we believe the Welldoc platform can make a big impact for our members.”

The new offering will first be available as a pilot to self-funded, employer-provided health plan customers, also known as Administrative Service Only (ASO), and later will be offered to other WPS Health Insurance and WPS Health Plan members.

About Welldoc®

Welldoc® is revolutionizing chronic condition management to help transform lives. BlueStar®, an FDA-cleared digital health solution, guides individuals through the complicated journey of living with diabetes by enabling them to self-manage their conditions and enhancing connections to their health care team. Welldoc streamlines the relationships between payers, employers, and health care systems resources, with the goal of improving population health and reducing costs of chronic care. For more information, visit www.welldoc.com.

About WPS Health Insurance

As one of the largest health benefits providers in the state, Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Insurance) remains not-for-profit and offers high-quality health plans to the public and private sectors. Headquartered in Madison, Wis., WPS Health Insurance also has offices in Green Bay and Rothschild. With more than 3,700 employees, we’re deeply committed to Wisconsin and its citizens.

WPS Health Insurance offers Preferred Provider Organization health plans for individuals and groups, third-party administrator services, plus Medicare supplement plans and Medicare prescription drug plans.

WPS Health Insurance is one of the brands under the umbrella of WPS Health Solutions, which offers insurance products through several brands as well as claims processing and benefits administration for U.S. government programs for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Visit the WPS Health Solutions “About” page for more information on our parent company.

About WPS Health Plan

WPS Health Plan, Inc. (WPS Health Plan) is a fresh choice in a crowd of big, impersonal, national health insurance giants. WPS is committed to customers, easy to work with, and as transparent as possible, which helps customers understand their benefits. Based in Green Bay, Wis., WPS Health Plan continues its tradition of Wisconsin-based service and is always looking for ways to make owning and using health insurance easier.

WPS Health Plan offers Health Maintenance Organization and Point-of-Service plans to the group and individual markets in eastern and north-central Wisconsin, plus third-party administrator services.

WPS Health Plan is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation and one of the brands under the umbrella of WPS Health Solutions, which offers insurance products through several brands as well as claims processing and benefits administration for U.S. government programs for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Defense, and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Visit the WPS Health Solutions “About” page for more information on our parent company.

Oak Park Place: Memorial Day Free Burger Drive-Up