Trump’s health chief channels boss’ combative approach

With help from Arthur Allen (@arthurallen202) and Darius Tahir (@dariustahir)

TRUMP HEALTH CHIEF CHANNELS BOSS’ COMBATIVE APPROACH: HHS secretary Alex Azar is trying out a new strategy in his attempt to lower drug prices: to sound more like President Donald Trump, our colleague Adam Cancryn reports.

Azar has slammed drugmakers for their “runaway price increases,” accused insurers of keeping customers in the dark and warned that drug industry middlemen are gaming the system, in what those close to Azar refer to as his “bully pulpit” strategy. It’s reminiscent of Trump’s accusation that pharmaceutical companies are “getting away with murder.”

The tone is a change for Azar, a former pharmaceutical executive, who’s cultivated a reputation as a mild-mannered pragmatist. But it serves a calculated purpose: Scare the drug industry into voluntarily cutting prices, because the administration can only do so much without Congress.

The Trump administration’s drug price plan leans on dozens of regulatory tweaks and promises to tackle bigger issues down the road. There’s little the administration can actually do on its own to make a measurable dent in drug prices by the end of the year, with Congress eager to steer clear of major health care debates before the midterm elections.

The next step is for HHS to back up Azar’s strong words with so-called sunshine tactics that identify companies that are hiking prices or trying to thwart competition. A new FDA database, for example, names brand drug manufacturers that the agency says are using a “gaming tactic” to block generic competitors — a clear attempt at shaming companies into abandoning the practice. A more extreme proposal that Azar has floated would require drugmakers to disclose prices in advertisements. Read the rest of Adam’s story here.

FDA CLEARS AI TOOL FOR DETECTING WRIST FRACTURES: The Food and Drug Administration has permitted the marketing of a computer-aided diagnosis software that detects wrist fractures. Tech company Imagen’s software, called OsteoDetect, analyzes two-dimensional X-rays for a common type of wrist fracture, according to an FDA release. The product can also flag the location of the fracture for the provider.

The software shouldn’t replace clinical judgment, the FDA emphasized in its release. Imagen submitted to the FDA a study concluding that the AI-based algorithm could improve clinicians’ ability to detect fractures. OsteoDetect was cleared through the FDA’s De Novo regulatory process, a classification for new low to moderate risk devices.

eHealth Tweet of the day: HIMSS @HIMSS “Instead of thinking, ‘oh, there’s an app for that,’ we should be thinking, ‘oh, there’s an exploit for that.’” —@lkimcissp http://ow.ly/kYCi30jP9RO#HITsecurity

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REPORT: WATSON LAYOFFS AT IBM: The Register reports that IBM has slashed its Watson Health division by 50 to 70 percent, citing inside sources. Crain’s Cleveland Business reports that several employees based in Cleveland have been let go; one former employee told the publication he lost 20 former coworkers last week.

AULTMAN HOSPITAL HACKED: Intruders accessed email accounts at Aultman Hospital, based in Canton, Ohio, HealthDataManagement reports. The occupational medicine division and 25 physician practices were affected, which may have compromised the health information — addresses, physical exam reports, test results — of almost 43,000 patients.

An internal investigation found that hackers used a phishing attack to access the accounts beginning in mid-February and ending in late March. The provider says there isn’t evidence that the data was improperly used.

POLL SAYS AMERICANS ARE SPLIT ON SCHOOL SHOOTING CAUSES: A POLITICO/Morning Consult poll finds that about 80 percent of U.S. households blame poor mental health care for mass shootings, in addition to illegal gun deals, POLITICO’s Jeremy C.F. Lin reports. For more on the interactive, click here.) As we reported back in March, some schools have been looking to telemedicine as a way to screen students at risk of violence. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center President Tedd Mitchell has touted a telemedicine-based violence prevention program through which four counselors have assessed 34,000 students. That program identified students at risk of suicide or homicide. “The good news with a program like this is, you can find those kids who are just about to blow,” Mitchell said in March.

MURRAY WANTS SEXUAL HARASSMENT DATA FROM TECH AND VC: Sen. Patty Murray has asked three technology and venture capital trade associations to turn over information on sexual harassment in their industry, POLITICO’s Andrew Hanna reports. She requested that National Venture Capital Association, TechNet and the Internet Association share polling data on the scope of harassment and steps those groups have taken to educate employees about sexual harassment policies. “I hope and expect that you have begun taking steps to address concerns about misconduct in your industry,” Murray, ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee, said last week.

WHAT WE’RE CLICKING ON:

—Facebook’s addiction support groups are vulnerable to rehab marketers

—Law firms target ads to patients inside ERs

—Is it time to reexamine HIPAA?