Epic Systems Seeks Dismissal of Antitrust Lawsuit Filed by Particle Health

In a significant development in the healthcare technology sector, Epic Systems, a leading electronic health record (EHR) vendor, has moved to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit brought against it by health data company Particle Health. The legal action, initiated last month, accuses Epic of leveraging its dominant market position to inhibit Particle’s access to the burgeoning payer platform industry, according to a court filing.

The lawsuit follows a contentious dispute that erupted in March 2024, when Epic alleged through the Carequality interoperability network that customers of Particle Health had improperly accessed EHR data. According to a statement from Epic, this unauthorized access occurred under misleading pretenses. This dispute was resolved on October 3, 2024, when both companies accepted a resolution from Carequality.

Epic’s response to the lawsuit underscores its position that Particle is attempting to deflect attention from serious allegations regarding patient privacy violations. An Epic representative asserted in a letter to the federal court, “This lawsuit is Particle’s attempt to distract from the public reckoning stemming from Particle’s customers violating patient privacy by improperly accessing patient records for non-treatment purposes.” The statement went on to highlight concerns that Particle had enabled access to sensitive patient data for a company involved in medical records analysis for class action lawsuits.

In its motion to dismiss, Epic’s legal team pointed out several deficiencies within Particle’s lawsuit, detailing a lack of evidence regarding key aspects of antitrust law. Per the court filing, these flaws include:

• Failure to identify a relevant product market.
• Failure to demonstrate any anticompetitive conduct by Epic.
• Failure to prove a conspiracy among relevant parties.
• Failure to establish antitrust standing.
• Failure to present viable state law claims.

As the case unfolds, the outcome may have significant implications for both companies and the broader healthcare technology landscape, particularly in the context of data access and patient privacy standards.

Source: Tech Target