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Money trail: Obama taps donor for health job
The Obama administration is drawing criticism for naming a wealthy campaign donor to a senior health post.
Without a formal announcement, the White House appointed Todd Park, co-founder of electronic health records firm Athenahealth, to be chief technology officer of the Department of Health and Human Services. From that position, the multimillionaire Park is expected to find ways to boost the use of technology to manage Americans' health information.
Park's appointment was publicized in a statement by the company. An HHS spokesperson who declined to be identified confirmed the news.
Park, 36, contributed over $60,000 to organizations boosting Obama's presidential campaign in 2008, and another $5,000 to Obama's transition effort this January. In March, Park gave $30,000 to the Democratic National Committee.