Todd Park Named New National Chief Technology Officer

Todd Park served for three years as chief technology officer for the Department of Health and Human Services where he was widely seen as someone who brought innovation and new spirit to the field of health information technology. Now President Obama has given Park a promotion to U.S. chief technology officer, leaving his role at HHS but no doubt still overseeing much of the work in the health arena along with much broader applications. During his time at HHS, Park led the creation of HealthCare.gov, “the first website to provide consumers with a comprehensive inventory of public and private health insurance plans available across the Nation by zip code in a single, easy-to-use tool,” according to a press release announcing his new position. He also led an initiative to tap massive streams of data housed by government agencies previously unavailable for commercial use and let companies use the information to create new solutions to problems within healthcare in a whole different way. President Obama created the position of chief technology officer when he came to office as a way to helop modernize the federal government on a wide range of national challenges. An interview with Park can be read in the current issue of Radiology Business Journal.