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.
