The ongoing legal conflict between Epic Systems, a leading EHR provider, and Particle Health, a health data exchange startup, has unfolded over several key events:
March: Epic filed a formal complaint with Carequality, a nationwide health information exchange framework both companies are a part of, alleging that Particle Health misrepresented its reasons for accessing patient records. Epic claimed that Particle was sharing data with entities using the information for non-treatment purposes, leading Epic to block certain groups from accessing patient data through Particle's Carequality connection.
May 3: Particle Health responded to Epic's claims and filed its own complaint against Epic, accusing the company of suspending responses to its data requests without proper justification.
Sept. 23: Particle Health escalated the dispute by filing an antitrust lawsuit against Epic in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit alleged that Epic was unlawfully controlling the U.S. medical records market, thereby harming patient care and increasing costs for health plans. Particle claimed that Epic's actions violated the Sherman Act by restricting its access to patient records within the Carequality network.
Nov. 21: During a pre-motion conference, Epic and Particle Health jointly submitted a proposed briefing schedule for Epic's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The schedule outlined deadlines for filings and requested an extension of page limits for the briefings.
Dec. 19: Epic filed its motion to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that Particle's claims were baseless and that the company was acting within its rights to protect patient data and ensure compliance with data-sharing agreements.
Jan. 9: Particle Health responded to Epic's motion to dismiss, accusing the EHR giant of monopolistic practices aimed at eliminating competition in the payer platform market. Particle alleged that Epic's actions were intended to stifle innovation and maintain its dominant market position.