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10 Hartford Business Journal • July 30, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com touting valve durability in their sales efforts. His mantra is: "Sounds good, show me the data." Hartford Hospital doctors and staff are playing a continuing role in get- ting that data. Since the FDA first approved TAVR for extreme-risk patients seven years ago, it has also approved the procedure for high and intermediate-risk patients. A new patient population The next frontier for TAVR is low-risk patients, for which a trial has already been completed. Study results for those patients are expected to be published in the first quarter of 2019. Hartford Hos- pital participated in that trial and continues to offer TAVR to low-risk patients using the Edwards valve, as permitted by the FDA, along with 34 other hospitals. McKay thinks that, as well as the public becoming increasingly in- formed about TAVR, will create a surge in patients asking for it. "A smart, low-risk person who wanted to avoid open-heart surgery would wait until this registry came online and could just come in and get a TAVR," he said. He's hoping the data next year show that TAVR has an equivalent or im- proved one-year mortality and stroke rate compared to surgery. He also hopes data will bear out that TAVR is a lower-cost option. FOCUS >> Heart Saver continued Anton Roberts, cardiovascular technician at Hartford Hospital. $10M OK'd for expanded autism center The state Bond Commission has greenlit $10 million to expand medical services for youths with autism. The funding will allow the Autism Center at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain to hire 25 full-time employees and expand its inpatient facility to serve about 250 children, youths and their families with autism. The expansion ups inpatient care from eight to 12 beds. The expanded facility will provide patients several levels of upgraded care in psychiatry, psychology, devel- opmental pediatrics, family therapy and behavioral analysis, among other services. The state's first Partial Hospital- ization Program will also be imple- mented to help youths remain at home during care and help others transition back into the community following an inpatient stay. Diameter Health nabs Indiana contract Farmington health tech company Diameter Health says an Indiana- based health information network will use its data collection platform to improve clinical research and health reporting. After a recently successful pilot, Diameter Health announced that the Indiana Health Information Exchange will continue using its various data exchange applications to better link data among payers, providers and other constituents. Diameter said its platform helps reduce unnecessary tests and chart reviews.