MADISON, WI—Kiio, a fast-growing provider of digital musculoskeletal (MSK) solutions, is excited to announce that Afsana Akhter has joined our executive team as Chief Growth Officer. Ms. Akhter brings deep expertise in the digital healthcare market after serving in key leadership roles at Livongo Health, Prealize Health (formerly Cardinal Analytx), and Medullan. She was also the co-founder of SkinIQ – a company that uses AI and machine vision to help people better manage their skin conditions.
“In selecting a Chief Growth Officer, we had a very specific vision. We looked for a leader with an entrepreneurial mindset and a successful track record of collaborating with national health plans and large employers to provide exceptional member and client experiences. Afsana has all of this, and a passion for improving quality of care and access to services,” stated Lydia Zeller, Kiio’s Chief Executive Officer. “This makes her a perfect fit for our growing team.”
Ms. Akhter will lead Kiio’s Sales and Client Success teams to bring the benefits of Kiio’s MSK solutions to millions of people by partnering with employers, health plans, PBMs and other ecosystem partners, as she has done in previous roles. Prior to working in digital health, Afsana worked at Cisco Systems and Mazu Networks, where she led engineering teams in developing and deploying VoIP and cyber security solutions. She holds her Masters in Engineering and Bachelor of Science degrees from MIT and serves as the co-chair of the Healthcare and Life Sciences forum of the MIT alumni organization for Northern California.
Afsana comments, “Kiio has developed a user-friendly, evidence-based solution that remarkably improves pain and function for people with low back pain, a condition which affects 30% of the adult population every year. In addition, Kiio’s solution has demonstrated substantial medical cost savings which have been proven with multiple health plan clients. I’m excited to help Kiio scale during a time when digital healthcare is more important than ever and is gaining rapid adoption.”
Kiio CEO Lydia Zeller adds, “Most people find it surprising that the U.S. spends more on MSK each year than on diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular treatments. Low back pain is the leading cause of opioid prescriptions, and for every 100,000 adults back pain results in $40 million in medical costs. Employers spend an additional $60 million in lost productivity and disability-related claims. Kiio has been proven to help reduce these costs for health plans and employers by providing an effective, timely digital program.”
Afsana Akhter started with Kiio in June and will be based out of Mountain View, California. She joins two other key hires in Q2, including Karen Hitchcock as the Vice President of Marketing and Customer Experience Strategy and Alex Kramer as Director of Product Marketing and Management.
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For press inquiries, please contact Karen Hitchcock | khitchccock@kiio.com
For sales inquiries, contact Afsana Akhter | afsana@kiio.com
For investor inquiries, contact Lydia Zeller | lzeller@kiio.com
About Kiio
Kiio is a digital therapeutic company based in Madison, Wisconsin that provides consumer-centric, evidence-based, individualized programs for people with musculoskeletal issues. Kiio’s clients include health insurance companies and large employers.
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