Craig Newmark's Badge of Honor: VA 'Nerd-in-Residence'
Craigslist founder teams up with agency on Blue Button electronic health records program.
Though he is best known as the founder of Craigslist, Craig Newmark also is a driver of innovation in government. As a consultant to the Veteran's Affairs Department, Newmark likes to call himself VA's "Nerd-in-Residence." His work there focuses on the Blue Button initiative to make electronic health records available to all veterans. The Blue Button program aims to accelerate the processing of claims and improve patient care.
He recently spoke with reporter Joseph Marks at Nextgov Prime in Washington about his work on the project. Newmark noted that one of his most important roles at VA is to stand up for and publicize the people who are doing good work at the agency. If no one hears about it, it's as if it hasn't happened, he said.
"People doing good work deserve to be acknowledged," Newmark said. "If you don't have good medical records around and family history, that can kill you."
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