Bacon's Rebellion

Aneesh Chopra: Virginia’s New Technology Guru — or Health Care Guru?

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by

James A. Bacon
in

Potomac ExecutiveBiz

has published an interview with Aneesh, Chopra, Tim Kaine’s new choice for Secretary of Technology. (Registration may be necessary.) The 33-year-old Northern Virginian seems an unconventional choice.

On his professional background: “I am a managing director at a think tank with a focus for the health care industry. … A big portion of my professional background has been studying ways that technology can fundamentally transform the healthcare industry in particular.” (These and other quotes below in italics are all mine.)

On why he accepted the position: “I fundamentally shared Governor-Elect Kaine’s passion for his policy agenda. He stated some pretty big goals that I believe technology can play a pretty significant role in. The top among them for me is his desire to lower the uninsured rate in Virginia, lower health care costs, which will improve small businesses and access to health care, which will also hopefully do so in a way that is cost efficient across the government to use so we can actually make better use of the government dollar where appropriate. Those are the things that really drove me. His agenda resonated, and I thought that the technology piece would be a big factor in achieving those policy goals.”

His top priorities: “My first priority would be to nurture the continued success of VITA. Second priority is to work very closely with my colleagues in the Cabinet to identify the most leveraged areas where technology could improve government service. Third, I want to continue to support the technology industry across the Commonwealth.”

Reading between the lines: Chopra wants to apply technology to improving the efficiency and quality of health care — including, possibly, the state Medicaid program. If I’m right, that would prove to be a most interesting direction for the new Secretary of Technology to take the job.

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7 responses to “Aneesh Chopra: Virginia’s New Technology Guru — or Health Care Guru?”

  1. Will Vehrs Avatar
    Will Vehrs

    I’ve previously written about Chopra here. I’m amused by the “techhead” reaction to him. I’d rather have some guy who has used technology in real world applications for this job (although we could do away with it and not skip a beat) as opposed to somebody who supposedly “understands” what all the microchips are doing.

    I hope Chopra spends his time working with state agencies to improve their efficiency as instead of being an “ambassador” who makes pilgrimages to Las Vegas and Silicon Valley conventions touting Virginia’s high tech environment.

  2. SouthoftheJames.com Avatar
    SouthoftheJames.com

    If he can use his secretariat to attack the Medicaid problem and health costs in general, then Virginia could be the Health Dominion. This is a serious issue that needs more state-local-nonprofit-individual innovation if we are to avoid a total system failure and it’s probable end – socialized medicine. Since some studies indicate that 80% of all health issues are preventative, and that system and technology inefficiencies are driving the health care crisis, let’s hope that he can make headway by rethinking Virginia’s health and government environment. That is, even if a little creative destruction is required.

    — Conaway

  3. El Moderado Avatar
    El Moderado

    As a consumer of healthcare services, I would like to know how system and technology inefficiencies drive up the cost of healtchare.

    I am not being critical. I was just curious as to what you are referring to specifically.

    It will be interesting to see how new technology can be implemented into Medicaid reform. My fear is that it could be used to reduce the rolls haphazardly, thereby denying people the services that actually need it.

    A new technology that catches people who abuse the system, including providers and patients, would be a welcome change.

  4. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    My very first reaction the day he was appointed was “What, is VITA going after healthcare funds now too?” (as my eyes rolled up to the top of my head!)

    Maybe I’m just skeptical because I know how the current VITA setup is really affecting the agencies. Any time Stewart, Huang and Warner start crowing about how much has been saved and how great things are, I cringe. Where is the savings? What has changed for the better?

    If this guy can save money for the citizens of the Commonwealth, real money, then I’m all for him. I hope he will first focus on getting the current mess straight before he starts another big “pie in the sky” plan.

    This whole idea doesn’t exactly sound like a Kaine idea. Kind of smells like Warner to me but who knows? Maybe with the changing of the guard, the smoke and mirrors of the last couple years will be cleaned up.

  5. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    El Moderado, I would be very interested to hear how Chopra thinks technology can help the health care industry. But here are my two bits:

    (1) The health care system is overwhelmed by paperwork. Good IT systems can take a lot of the cost out of shuffling all those billing and reimbursement forms. Additionally, IT can help create unified patient databases, which would eliminate a lot of redundant tests and procedures because one doctor doesn’t know the results of a test performed by a previous doctor, and doesn’t have access to those records.

    (2) Even more important, good IT systems can help hospitals and docs compile extensive patient-level databases that can be mined to detect (and improve) patterns of care. Such info can be used to identify systemic sources of error, and also to identify which medical practices and procedures work better than others, resulting in superior patient outcomes.

  6. Salt Lick Avatar
    Salt Lick

    We non-wonks don’t usually notice these issues until they hit us in a personal way. Five retirees came back for my workplace Christmas party this year. Most of what they talked about was the cost of health care insurance. Factor that in with the huge number of boomers coming into retirement age — Yes, it made a big impression on me.

  7. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    El Moderado, You are quite right, it is the responsibility of the private sector to implement IT solutions themselves. But the fact is, the private sector in health care has been a laggard — due primarily to insufficient incentives. Someone needs to prod the industry into action. Perhaps the state, as administrator of Medicaid and as a major employer, can cajole the hospitals and insurers into deploying IT solutions more aggressively. Perhaps the governor, or Secretary of Technology, can use his bully pulpit to catalyze a statewide effort encompassing the hospitals, physicians and other key players to get more proactive. Again, I’d be interested to hear what Chopra has in mind.

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