The first Health Datapalooza of the Trump era was pretty reassuring for people in the health IT community:

Those feelings of relief are mostly down to HHS Secretary Tom Price. The primary takeaway is Price’s commitment to simplify reporting and usability burdens in EHRs.

“The promise of health IT is so great, but we must recognize that a one-size-fits-all, inflexible system for our nation’s patients and physicians simply will not work,” he said, adding that physicians were taking too much time “tapping on screens and keyboards rather than helping patients.”

Most health IT management professionals routinely work on addressing problems with patient matching and duplicate patient records, according to a survey released Wednesday by the American Health Information Management Association, EHR Intelligence reports (Heath, EHR Intelligence, 1/

Google executives rocked the Internet with the announcement of Alphabet -- a new portfolio-like company that will separate Google's core business -- such as search, Gmail, YouTube and maps -- from projects, such as those in health care, that are farther afield.

Greenway Health is the leading electronic health record vendor for user satisfaction among primary care physicians, according to a survey by Black Book Market Research, FierceEMR reports (Durben

A Web-based platform that facilitates patient-provider communication and offers medical information resources can bolster patient engagement, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, FierceMobileHealthcare repo

There is no shortage of complaints about the usability of Electronic Health Record systems (EHRs). More and more evidence is emerging regarding the lack of EHR usability. Speaking at the 2013 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference & Exhibition, Michael S. Barr, MD, MBA, FACP, of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) warned that:

“Satisfaction and usability ratings for certified electronic health records (EHRs) have decreased since 2010 among clinicians across a range of indicators.”

While many older individuals are open to using mobile activity trackers, long-term adoption is hindered by physical discomfort, complicated applications and other issues, according to a study released by AARP, FierceMobileHealthcare reports.

Rep.

Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) re-introduced a bill (S 1101) that would exempt certain medical software and mobile applications from FDA regulation, Health Data Management reports.

The Joint Commission issued a sentinel event alert warning that while electronic health records and other health IT have the potential to improve care quality and safety, such technologies can pose inherent risks to patients, Modern Healthcare reports.

Health IT and interoperability will play key roles in an initiative launched this week to promote the adoption of alternative health care payment modes, FierceHealthIT reports (Bowman, FierceHealthIT, 3/25).

Click here for Update: The Final Rule for the 2015 edition certification has been released.

A new Black Book Market Research report names the top inpatient electronic health record vendors based on six client experience categories, EHR Intelligence reports.

Several health IT stakeholders say technology will play a key role in CMS' new "Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model," which will expand coverage of telehealth services, FierceHealthIT reports (Bowman, FierceHealthIT, 3/11).

A coalition of mental health professionals and advocates has asked Congress to approve financial incentives to help mental health providers adopt electronic health records, but some professionals have raised privacy concerns about the use of EHRs among such providers, Kaiser Health News/Washington Post reports.

In a Health Affairs blog post, a group of Republican senators write, "There is inconclusive evidence that the [HITECH ACT] has achieved its goals of increasing efficiency, reducing costs and improving the quality of care."

The FDA launched a new mobile application that allows users to share and obtain information about drug shortages, Modern Healthcare reports.

Mobile health technologies can improve adherence to chronic disease management, but mixed evidence of the tools' effectiveness necessitates further research, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research,

The majority of health-related Web pages allow third parties to view users' information, raising privacy concerns for health-related search practices, according to a study published in the journal Communications of the ACM, Time reports.