The federal government is losing a major proponent of EHRs and other health IT tools, as the White House recently announced that the country's first chief technology officer Aneesh Chopra will step down from his position.

During his time in his post, Chopra helped oversee the government's meaningful use incentive program, which rewards physicians for adopting EHRs. He also spent a significant amount of time advocating for the technology.

President Barack Obama said in a statement that Chopra's contributions will leave a lasting mark, as his work played an important role in modernizing the operations of the federal government and furthering its goal of making greater use of EHRs in healthcare.

"Aneesh found countless ways to engage the American people using technology, from electronic health records for veterans, to expanding access to broadband for rural communities, to modernizing government records," said President Obama.

Chopra's last day as CTO will be February 8. Media reports have given no indication as to who might succeed Chopra as the nation's top technology executive.