Hotel Indigo Madison: Clean, Quiet Working/Sleeping Accommodations

Hello All! The Hotel Indigo Madison is still open and accepting reservations. We are happy to provide accommodations to those essential workers who are uneasy to go home or are looking for a comfortable place to work or self-quarantine during these uncertain times we find ourselves in. Let us be your home away from home and collect IHG Reward Points while you are here! Complimentary grab and go bagged breakfast and our Market with local snacks is still open along with several delivery options nearby. Call to arrange your reservation 608.256.0061

Goodman Community Center Launches Distance Learning for Students

Contact:
Becky Steinhoff, Executive Director
Goodman Community Center
149 Waubesa Street | Madison, WI 53704
608-204-8025 | becky@goodmancenter.org

GCC Launches Distance Learning for Students
Program staff at the Center have created classes and clubs to support 4K through high school

Madison, WI  April 6, 2020 – Goodman Community Center program staff have created virtual and distance learning opportunities to support its students and families of all school ages. Staff have been working diligently to plan and roll out this process, including, in some cases, getting families access to devices their children can use to take advantage of these learning opportunities.

“Working closely with MMSD is a big part of what our program staff does, and as the district moves to distance learning, we knew it would be important for us to step up and offer support for the families we serve,” said Becky Steinhoff, Executive Director of the Goodman Community Center. “I’ve always said we have some of the most committed staff working with our young people, and as they’ve shifted gears and made new plans, I’m reminded of it all over again. I’m so proud of what they’re all doing to step up and support our families.”

Here’s what each program is doing:

• Early Childhood Education: Staff are offering 1-1.5 hours of programming per day for preschool and 4K students, shared out via the SeeSaw app. They are also finding Chromebooks and tablets for families who don’t have access to devices.
• Elementary Afterschool: Staff are planning virtual clubs that will be filmed in their homes and uploaded to the Goodman YouTube channel.
• Middle & High School: Staff plan to continue many of the regular afterschool clubs students were able to participate in at the Center, and they are also creating art supply kits that they are then dropping off for families who need them.
• Transition Academy: This alternative to traditional high school has shifted to 100% distance learning, offering all the same classes students attended at the Center in a remote environment while maintaining the hands-on nature at the core of the Transition Academy. For students who do not have access to internet or devices, staff are dropping off study materials each week and collecting student work from the previous week.
• Girls Inc.: Staff are creating programming five days a week, many being offered live so girls can engage in conversation and find a safe space to express their concerns and have questions answered.

In addition to all of this, each program is also holding virtual office hours or reaching out to family and students to ensure that the Center continues to support their individual needs.

For more information about what the Goodman Community Center is doing in the wake of COVID-19, visit: goodmancenter.org/corona

About the Goodman Community Center

The Goodman Community Center is the largest community center in Dane County. The center offers many programs to strengthen the lives of preschoolers through teens, meals and social activities for older adults, a food pantry, a gymnasium and fitness center, catering services and community space. For more information about the Center, visit goodmancenter.org.

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SWAVE: Dane County Curbside Challenge

The Dane County Curbside Challenge is in full swing!

How it works:

1. Buy curbside, carry out, or delivery from a participating restaurant or retailer
2. Post to social media with the hashtag #DaneCountyCurbsideChallenge and tag the business
3. Be put in a drawing for a $25 gift card from the local place you supported through your purchase

To view participating restaurants and retailers, visit: www.swavecoupons.com/danecounty-curbside-challenge

Good luck and have fun!

Badger Air Community Council: Airmen of the 115th Fighter Wing serving during public health emergency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2020

Contact: Chris “Desi” Arenz
                Executive Director
                (608) 287-6208
                badgerair@gmail.com

Airmen of the 115^th Fighter Wing serving during public health emergency

Airmen and Soldiers of the WI National Guard getting Wisconsinites home safely

MADISON –Yesterday, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed Executive Order #72 declaring a public health emergency in Wisconsin. Among the health and safety actions outlined in the Executive Order was the mobilization of the Wisconsin National Guard to ensure safe transport home for Wisconsinites who had been stuck on the Grand Princess cruise ship because of the coronavirus outbreak.

“Because of a coronavirus outbreak on the cruise ship they were on, 37 of our friends and neighbors have been stuck away from their friends and families in Wisconsin for over a week,” said Chris Arenz, Executive Director of the Badger Air Community Council. “According to the Governor Evers’ press conference yesterday, those Wisconsinites are being evacuated and upon arrival back in Wisconsin, they will be greeted by Wisconsin Department of Health Services personnel. And then they will be driven back home safely and efficiently by our friends, neighbors and co-workers who serve as Airmen and soldiers with the Wisconsin National Guard.”

“Members of the Wisconsin National guard serve dual state and federal missions. In their federal mission they serve to protect our national security and in their state mission they help civil authorities protect life and property and preserve peace, order, and public safety in times of natural or human-caused emergencies.”

“On behalf of the members of the Badger Air Community Council and the over 4,500 Together Truax supporters, thank you for once again stepping up to serve our communities and state in this public health emergency.”

This is not the first time recently that members of the 115^th Fighter Wing have, in their state mission, served our community and state in a time of need. Last summer, the 115^th Fighter Wing Fire Emergency Services responded to a City of Madison Fire Department Incident Commander request to assist in extinguishing the substation fire in downtown. Later that same weekend more than 100 Soldiers and Airmen from the Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard were mobilized to Polk, Barron, and Langlade Counties to assist civil authorities in the aftermath of intense storms that cut a swath of destruction across northern Wisconsin July 20-21. During the recent lake level flooding in Madison, Airmen of the 115th Fighter Wing assisted with sandbagging operations to prevent property and infrastructure damage on the isthmus. They were also mobilized to assist in flood prevention operations to keep Interstate Highway 39 open.

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Health eFilings Provides Automated MIPS Reporting for Healthpac Clients

Savannah, GA and Madison, WI – Health eFilings, the national leader in quality data management and automated MIPS reporting, today announced a partnership with Healthpac, the leading provider of medical billing and practice management software. Health eFilings will now work directly with Healthpac clients to provide MIPS reporting services so that both a healthcare practice and the billing company will avoid significant financial penalties while protecting their bottom line.

CMS oversees the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), a payment track that focuses on quality, cost, interoperability, and provider-initiated improvements. The MIPS program rules change each year making it extremely challenging for a healthcare practice to understand all the nuances and requirements of how best to comply. Additionally, given the significant risk of a 9% penalty of a practice’s annual Medicare billings, this program requires expertise in order to comply effectively. So, a healthcare practice will often turn to their billing company for advice and assistance on how best to manage their CMS obligations. With Health eFilings’ compliance module powered by its ONC certified software, Healthpac customers can now offer their clients a complete solution to track and report, and thereby, optimize their Medicare reimbursements.

“We are proud to partner with Health eFilings, the national leader in quality data management and automated MIPS compliance. Their services drive improved patient outcomes, optimized quality measures and stronger financial results for healthcare practices,” said Buddy Claborn, CEO of Healthpac. “As the program rules change each year, the complexity increases, and the financial implications are even greater, healthcare practices are in need of an expert to support them with a solution to ensure they earn the most points in order to maximize their Medicare reimbursements. Our partnership with Health eFilings will assure that our clients have this required support.”

Health eFilings’ MIPS reporting service seamlessly integrates with Healthpac and provides a complete turn-key, end to end solution that does not require any IT or administrative resources on behalf of a billing company or the healthcare practice. As a CEHRT (Certified EHR Technology), Health eFilings’ cloud based, ONC certified software is significantly more efficient and effective than any registry as it fully automates the extraction, calculation, benchmarking, and electronic submission of MIPS data to CMS so Clinicians avoid significant penalties and earn maximum Medicare reimbursements. And, Health eFilings has a 100% success rate with CMS accepting electronic submissions on behalf of their clients.

“Our company is very excited to partner with Healthpac, a true leader and innovator in healthcare billing and PM services, to offer our fully automated service to support their clients and their customers with MIPS reporting,” said Robert Hopton, Health eFilings CEO. “Through our seamless integration, Healthpac’s customers have access to the most effective method in MIPS compliance. And, because our service does not require any resources from the client, they can focus their time on their core business rather than trying to manage all the complexities of MIPS.”

About Healthpac
Founded in Savannah in 1981, Healthpac is a leading provider of medical billing and practice management software for physicians, radiology imaging centers, healthcare providers, laboratories and medical billing companies. Healthpac’s billing solutions, constantly evolving proprietary software and experience in the healthcare industry have made the company a trusted advisor for more than 30,000 providers in 45 states. Healthpac’s software is carefully tailored to provide the functionality needed in today’s healthcare industry, and the company’s staff includes several former practice managers and healthcare business owners who are tasked with constantly improving Healthpac’s level of service. The company’s CEO, Buddy Claborn, is a previous recipient of the National Healthcare Billing Software Vendor of the Year from the Healthcare Billing and Management Association. Learn more at www.healthpac.net.

About Health eFilings
Health eFilings is a Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT) and is committed to delivering innovative, cloud-based technology that ensures healthcare organizations successfully transition from a volume to value-based care model. The company’s ONC certified software enables providers to effectively leverage data in the EHR or billing system to improve the quality of patient care and lower costs. With Health eFilings’ end-to-end, enterprise solution, healthcare organizations can effectively manage and analyze data for population health management initiatives and easily comply with complex CMS programs, such as MIPS and CPC+ reporting. Health eFilings’ proprietary software seamlessly integrates with any 2014 certified or higher EHR or billing system and is the only service that can integrate data across multiple platforms to create a single, comprehensive patient record. Since the software fully automates the process and does all the work with no IT resources, no administrative support and no workflow changes, providers have more time to focus on their patients. To learn more, visit www.HealtheFilings.com.