Tuesday
Jun082010
Bridging IT Gap Is Key To Government Modernization, Says Orszag
Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at 5:12PM
By Sarah Mamula - Talk Radio News Service
Peter Orszag, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, believes that bridging the information technology (IT) gap between the government and private sector is “the single most important step we can take in creating a more efficient and productive federal government.”
“President Obama has undertaken a far-reaching effort to modernize and reform government,” said Orszag during remarks at the Center for American Progress Tuesday. “The IT gap is the key differentiator between our efforts to modernize government and those that have come before.”
Orszag emphasized the importance of aligning the government sector with the private, and outlined ways in which increased IT benefits the efficiency of federal agencies.
For example, the Department of Homeland Security has added an online tracking service for visa and citizenship applications where users can go online to check the status of their applications without having to send letters in the mail and wait for a response.
The government is also using IT to increase the sharing of information between agencies to reduce the $100 billion a year of improper payments, which is especially important to Medicare, where the largest problems of improper payments occur.
“In months ahead, we will be looking to unveil more of these technology-driven solutions,” said Orszag, who added that closing the IT gap will “increase productivity and responsiveness, efficiency and customer service” within the federal government.”
Peter Orszag, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, believes that bridging the information technology (IT) gap between the government and private sector is “the single most important step we can take in creating a more efficient and productive federal government.”
“President Obama has undertaken a far-reaching effort to modernize and reform government,” said Orszag during remarks at the Center for American Progress Tuesday. “The IT gap is the key differentiator between our efforts to modernize government and those that have come before.”
Orszag emphasized the importance of aligning the government sector with the private, and outlined ways in which increased IT benefits the efficiency of federal agencies.
For example, the Department of Homeland Security has added an online tracking service for visa and citizenship applications where users can go online to check the status of their applications without having to send letters in the mail and wait for a response.
The government is also using IT to increase the sharing of information between agencies to reduce the $100 billion a year of improper payments, which is especially important to Medicare, where the largest problems of improper payments occur.
“In months ahead, we will be looking to unveil more of these technology-driven solutions,” said Orszag, who added that closing the IT gap will “increase productivity and responsiveness, efficiency and customer service” within the federal government.”
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