Madison, March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To do more to serve its Medicaid and Marketplace health plan members during COVID, Children’s Community Health Plan (CCHP) partnered with Kiio to expand outreach efforts, tripled enrollment in its digital musculoskeletal (MSK) program, and had significant impact on improving member health while minimizing the need for emergency room and other in-facility visits.
CCHP initially rolled Kiio out to its Medicaid and Marketplace members in early 2019 and saw very strong results for Kiio participants in the first year. Members using Kiio experienced a 61% reduction in pain and a 52% improvement in function on average. Many of these members took advantage of the fact that Kiio does not require sending any special equipment or scheduling to get started—61% of Kiio users reported a reduction in pain within one week of engagement with Kiio. Also, 90% of members said Kiio helped them learn to better manage their pain.
“Then in 2020, when COVID hit, we knew that our members would face even greater physical and mental strain during a time when it would be more difficult to access facility-based care. We wanted to do more to serve our members and expand their options for virtual care,” said Jamie Heberer, CCHP Director Case Management and Health Promotion.
Jim Slawson, MD, CCHP’s Chief Medical Officer, shared, “CCHP chose Kiio because Kiio’s digital therapeutic treatment is evidence-based, has proven clinical and cost outcomes, and is very easy to use. We wanted to provide our members with a program that would meet them where they are, be available anytime and anywhere, and offer immediate access especially given the need for social distancing and reduced access to facility-based care during COVID-19.”
“We re-launched Kiio with an even more robust marketing campaign,” said Heberer. “We saw enrollment triple in a short period of time, which highlights how our members really value digital care programs that empower them to manage their pain. We continue to apply multi-channel communication approaches to expand the use and benefit of the Kiio program.”
During this challenging year, it was also crucial for CCHP to address the fact that pain and mental well-being go hand in hand. Heberer further commented, “Kiio was able to help our members reduce their pain and improve their function along with their mental well-being. At a time when mental health symptoms are increasing, 80% of Kiio users report stable or improved mental well-being.”
CCHP members using Kiio have testified to its ease of use, convenience and effectiveness:
- “I feel like I'm not exercising alone! I like being guided through it. I actually looked forward to it each day.”
- “You can do it whenever it fits into your schedule.”
- “It is easy to use. Because I have a smart phone, I can take the program with me and use it at my convenience.”
- “Kiio shows exercise can help instead of taking pills, and shows the correct way [to do the exercises].”
- “Kiio started slow and let me progress at my pace. It helped my whole body not just my back.”
Kiio CEO Lydia Zeller recognized CCHP’s responsiveness in driving the program’s impact. “Kiio deeply values CCHP’s nimbleness and dedication to members’ care,” said Zeller. “With the challenges of COVID-19, our teams quickly realized the additional benefit from Kiio’s digital-first approach to chronic pain management and sudden flare-ups. Members avoided visits to overburdened emergency rooms and urgent care clinics, getting MRIs and facility-based procedures, and reliance on opioid prescriptions.”
Key to increasing use of Kiio and achieving these outcomes was CCHP and Kiio working together to launch a more robust, multi-channel member awareness and engagement campaign. Zeller continues, “This creative approach to outreach is a wonderful example of how Health Plans and Digital Health companies can partner to promote safety and well-being for their members during the pandemic.”
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About Children’s Community Health Plan (CCHP)
Children’s Community Health Plan (CCHP), an affiliate of Children’s Wisconsin, is an HMO dedicated to providing access to the highest quality health care and services to our members living in Wisconsin. We are proud to serve over 160,000 members between our two products, Medicaid and Together with CCHP Marketplace product. Children’s Community Health Plan is a member of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), which is a national trade association representing more than 75 nonprofit safety net health plans which collectively provide health coverage to more than 20 million people. ACAP’s mission is to strengthen not-for-profit Safety Net Health Plans in their work to improve the health and well-being of lower-income people and/or people with significant health needs.
About Kiio
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