Web 2.0: US CTO Aneesh Chopra on using tech to improve health care

As part of ongoing attempts to reform the nation’s health care system, President Barack Obama’s administration is looking at how technology can make things better, said Obama’s chief technology officer, Aneesh Chopra.

Speaking today while onstage at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Chopra outlined the three big areas where Obama wants to use tech in health care:

Data: In the same way that companies can harness centralized market intelligence to make informed decisions, the government and health care providers need to create a centralized data repository. Only a tiny amount of this data is being shared right now, Chopra said, but $1.1 billion of the economic stimulus package is being spent to build out the necessary infrastructure. But the government has yet to release the details of how that money will be spent.

Innovation standards: Chopra said the administration will be hosting a workshop on Oct. 29 to discuss standards for health care innovation and IT. He encouraged summit attendees to participate in the panel, and especially in the two-week online discussion that will follow.

Billing: Seventeen cents of every dollar spent on health care is spent on billing, Chopra said, and the administration is looking at ways to improve the process and reduce those costs.

During the ensuing discussion, Chopra talked more about some of the work that has already been done in this area.

Interviewer Tim O’Reilly pointed out that health care doesn’t really work like a functional free market. Instead, there’s lots of fragmentation, and most of the big players are working at cross-purposes. But the administration is trying to create new markets for innovation, Chopra said. For example, there’s legislation in the works that will bundle hospital payments to cover not just initial visits, but follow-up visits as well. That creates opportunities for remote-monitoring companies, such as iPhone apps that update doctors about a patient’s condition.

Chopra didn’t just focus on health care, either. He was also asked about a campaign to create a streamlined visa process for entrepreneurs and startups employees. Chopra noted that the administration has already made the process more transparent, using text messaging and other technology to inform applicants of where they are in the process. Broader changes, however, will have to wait for an overhaul of the entire immigration process (which Obama absolutely believes is necessary), not just a special exemption for startups, Chopra said.

“We can’t just peel off pieces and parts,” he said.

For more thoughts on tech and health care, check out this column by Sean Nolan of the Health Solutions Group at Microsoft.

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