WASHINGTON – As the battle over health reform wages, someone vested in healthcare IT may wonder, how does this concern me? How much change can I expect?

We’ve already seen a $20 million investment in healthcare IT with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Will there be more involving IT as the reform process continues?

I got some insight into the Obama administration’s priority for IT at a recent Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Government Health IT conference and exhibition held in Washington DC. June 4-5.

The closing keynote speaker was Aneesh Chopra, the new White House chief technology officer. Not only is he new at the job as of April 18, but the position itself is just as new, created by the Obama administration. The significance wasn’t lost on Chopra, the former Virginia Secretary of Technology and co-chair of the Health IT Council. “It’s a new world vision,” he said. “The president wants to weave IT into the overarching goals of the nation.”

Chopra, who called IT “his lifelong passion,” said he will be responsible for seeing how IT fits into all of the White House goals, including education, energy and job creation, as well as healthcare. Chopra said he will try to find ways to embed IT solutions and cyber security into every aspect of these priorities.

Breaking down how this will affect healthcare, Chopra said the industry is “just in its infancy” of being able to analyze for the broader patterns. Healthcare IT is fragmented, so it is not able to function yet like the retail industry, where a Best Buy manager can get a weekly analysis on how to effectively promote products regionally and locally. Chopra said he would be fascinated to see what develops for healthcare as this sector gains the capabilities retail now has.

Chopra said one of his main areas of leverage with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT would be to provide funding for research and development. He would like to see the healthcare sector develop something to impact the industry as much as the 99 cent “app” has made a boom for iPhone. “How can we create a platform for innovation?” he asked. “My voice, however modest, will be in the debate to spur innovation.”