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G R E AT E R H A R T F O R D ' S B U S I N E S S N E W S w w w. H a r t f o rd B u s i n e s s . c o m For more B2B news visit MAY 25, 2015 Volume 23, Number 26 $3.00 Subscribe online J U N E 4 T H H A R T F O R D For more info: www.CTBEXPO.com Legislators pitch $50M e-health exchange By Matt Pilon mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com L ess than a year after the official death of a multimillion-dollar attempt to give Connecticut doctors and other caregiv- ers a way to share patients' medical records electronically, lawmakers want to invest $50 million in a second try. A bill progressing through the legislature reit- erates the state's desire to develop and maintain a statewide health information exchange (HIE) that would give providers a secure way to rapidly access patient files and analyze data. Besides the funding, the proposal offers state tax credits to providers who install or upgrade their internal electronic record systems and to hospitals that donate connection services to outside doctors. Proponents have long argued that an HIE would enable cost savings, improve health outcomes, and create a level playing field for smaller providers who typically must pay hos- pitals to access and share patient information. But despite its efforts, Connecticut has failed to launch a health records exchange. A previous attempt, run by a quasi-public agency called HITE-CT, received more than $4 million in federal stimulus funds between 2012 and 2014, but ran into financial problems, and ulti- mately gave up on building the system. The investment proposed by Senate Bill 812 would be the largest single commit- ment of Connecticut dollars ever for an HIE Blight Fight NINA leads Asylum Hill's quiet housing comeback I n the shadow of Aetna and The Hartford, Hartford's historic Asylum Hill neigh- borhood in recent years has quietly been undergoing a transformation. With financial and in-kind backing from those two insurers, along with nearby St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center and Webster Bank, a West End community- development nonprofit has shepherded the facelift, or pending redo, of nearly two dozen dwellings since 2003. Several new ones, too, have been built. Collectively, the sponsors aim to widen the percentage of Asylum Hill homeowners, while reducing blight and restoring luster to what was once one of the city's grand- est, wealthiest neighborhoods. Former homes of writer/humorist Mark Twain and abolitionist-author Harriet Beecher Stowe, as well as headquarters campuses for The Hartford and Aetna Inc., are among the neighborhood's noteworthy landmarks. Barely 10 percent, or 624, of the approxi- mately 6,500 dwellings in Asylum Hill are own- er-occupied; the rest are rented apartments, said David Corrigan, program manager for the Northside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (NINA). Nationally, the owner-occupancy rate is about 66 percent. "We do want to build more ownership in UConn Health Center would need to invest $85 million to develop a qualified electronic medical record system. Index ■ Week in Review: PG. 6 ■ Focus: PG. 8 ■ The List: PG. 9 ■ Corporate Profile: PG. 18 ■ Movers & Shakers: PG. 22 ■ Opinion & Commentary: PG. 24 FOCUS: MANUFACTURING Competitive Disadvantage A new report comparing all 50 U.S. states ranks Connecticut in the bottom half of aerospace manufacturing industry attractiveness. Find out which factors are dragging down Connecticut's standing. PG. 8 Home-buying Season Memorial Day kicks off the unofficial start of home- buying season. Find out why Greater Hartford Realtors and lenders are more bullish this year about the prospects of increased sales activity. PG. 5 Summer Green Guide Connecticut has a new environmental law enforcer, and the Hartford Landfill closes after 75 years. To read these stories and more, check out the summer edition of the Connecticut Green Guide magazine. Special Insert Continued on page 15 Continued on page 16 Asylum Hill residents Valerio and Dulcie Giadone moved to the Hartford neighborhood in 2006 and love it. Gregory Seay P H O T O | S T E V E L A S C H E V E R P H O T O | H B J F I L E Stone date markers trace Asylum homes' histories. DEAL WATCH