News from other sources...

Safety, quality and clinical practice

Hospitals hide costs of pricey medical procedures | Axios

Hospitals tout fancy new technologies and brag about price transparency, but in their bragging they rarely mention out-of-pocket costs.

Flint registry to track residents affected by lead-tainted water | Health Data Management

With funding from HHS, Michigan State University will create a registry of Flint, Mich., residents exposed to water with lead in it in 2014 and 2015. HHS will use the information to monitor those people's health.

FDA to step up targeting of fentanyl, other synthetic opioids at postal facilities | The Washington Post

FDA employees will analyze packages at USPS-run international mail facilities to try to sniff out opioids before they get into the U.S.

Pharmaceuticals

Take the generic drug, patients are told—unless insurers say no | Propublica

Some insurers and pharmaceuticals are making deals so insurance plants cover only the brand-name versions of medications also available in generic versions.

Information technology

A shift in the fitness wearables market spells trouble for Fitbit | Medcity News

Chinese electronics maker Xiami sold 3.7 million wearables in the second quarter, beating out Fitbit, which sold 3.4 million, and Apple, which sold 2.8 million. Fitbit's market share is down from 29% in the second quarter of 2016 to 16% in the second quarter of 2017.

In other news

How do Chicago police treat mental health? With SWAT raids | The Intercept

In the past five years, SWAT teams have responded at least 38 times to mental health incidents (including suicide attempts) in Chicago. Meanwhile, in the past six years, Chicago has shuttered half of its public mental health clinics.