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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 DECEMBER 14, 2015 Volume 24, Number 2 $3.00 Subscribe online Reinvented and reinvigorated. Book of Lists 2 0 1 5 / 2 0 1 6 Look for it in your mailbox! Coming: 12/28/15 Index ■ Week in Review: PG. 6 ■ Focus: PG. 8 ■ The List: PG. 9 ■ Deal Watch: PG. 10 ■ Nonprofit Notebook: PG. 17 ■ Movers & Shakers: PG. 17 ■ Opinion & Commentary: PG. 20 EXECUTIVE PROFILE Defeating Hunger James Arena-DeRosa grew up in the lap of the civil- rights movement and is using those lessons learned to try to eliminate the scourge of hunger in Connecticut. Find out more about the new CEO of Foodshare. PG. 5 Aging Opportunities In this week's issue we wrap up our year-long series on the state's aging population with a look at how one local insurance agency is taking advantage of an increasing number of graying business owners looking to sell their company. PG. 3 By Matt Pilon mpilon@HartfordBusiness.com T elehealth, or telemedicine, has received a lot of attention since its advent in the 1990s, but odds are you've not yet talked to your doctor through a computer monitor. Connecticut has been particularly slow in rolling out such technology. It remains one of the only states in which Medicaid does not reimburse telehealth services. A number of providers, however, from hospitals to doctor groups, have dipped their toes into telehealth waters, and insurers have started to align with various technology companies that facilitate virtual face-to-face meetings between patient and doctor. The modest level of activity thus far could begin to ramp up in 2016, after state lawmakers passed a law earlier this year requiring commer- cial insurers — but not Medicaid — to pay for telehealth visits. The law requires most health insurance policies to reimburse the same set of tele- health-facilitated services that are covered for in-person visits. Telehealth providers are widely defined, and include primary care physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, podiatrists, optom- etrists, psychologists, alcohol counselors and a range of other specialties. Will demand be there? One early Connecticut adopter of virtual CT AM radio faces uncertain future By Keith Griffin kgriffin@HartfordBusiness.com E arlier this year, Texas-based Petrus Holding Co. made a bet on the future of AM radio in Connecticut, when it acquired Westport's Connoisseur Media, which owns 42 radio stations in 12 markets, including WDRC in this state. Steve Blasnik, Petrus Holding's presi- dent, said it made the acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, because it believed in the "enduring importance of radio, which continues to be the media with the great- est reach among adults." While that may be true, the future of AM radio is uncertain as the industry grapples with a host of challenges from technology to changing demographics and financial pressures. Experts see it continuing to do well in the short term but its fate in a decade or so remains cloudy. Rich Hanley, an associate professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University, said terrestrial radio, which includes AM and FM radio, is listened to by 90 percent of the population once a week. "It's still a force," he said, adding it's not WTIC's Ray Dunaway hosts one of the most popular AM radio morning shows in Connecticut. VIRTUAL CARE CT preps for telehealth rollout Continued on page 12 Continued on page 14 Dr. Laine Taylor, a Yale psychiatrist, demonstrates the IT platform that some of her colleagues use to conduct virtual visits with patients. Pictured on the screen is Yale IT Support Specialist Mark Lazarus. P H O T O S | P A B L O R O B L E S P H O T O | C O N T R I B U T E D UNAMI SILVER S Connecticut's