Epic, Particle Health feud continues: 6 things to know

Epic is urging Carequality, an interoperability network, to disclose the findings of a previous dispute involving Particle Health, which raised concerns about the company's data-sharing practices.

The dispute, initiated at the request of Epic's customer governing council, centers on concerns that customers of Particle Health — a data platform that facilitates access to information between Epic and organizations such as hospitals and clinics — have allegedly accessed medical records under false pretenses, potentially jeopardizing patient data privacy, according to a Sept. 27 news release from Epic.

Six things to know about the Epic-Particle Health dispute and the companies' history:

  1. In the release, Epic pointed to a business named Integritort, which allegedly misrepresented itself as a healthcare provider treating patients. The company is accused of instead gathering medical records for personal injury law firms to review, raising concerns about misuse of patient data for class-action lawsuits.

  2. The Carequality Steering Committee, which oversees the interoperability framework, has reviewed the dispute and issued a resolution. However, Epic claims Particle Health has publicly misrepresented the findings of this resolution. Epic is calling for transparency, urging Particle to join it in requesting Carequality to release the resolution publicly for review by patients, healthcare organizations and other stakeholders.

  3. "Carequality asked that the resolution remain confidential. If Carequality wishes to release it now, we have no objection," a Particle Health spokesperson told Becker's.

  4. Epic's press release comes days after Particle Health filed a lawsuit Sept. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against the EHR vendor. The lawsuit alleges that Epic is breaking U.S. competition laws — specifically the Sherman Act — by restricting its access to patient records in the Carequality network.

  5. This legal dispute dates to March, when Epic filed a formal complaint with Carequality, accusing Particle Health of misrepresenting its reasons for accessing patient records. Carequality participants are required to adhere to strict rules, including obtaining patient consent for data sharing in compliance with HIPAA. According to Epic, after discovering Particle's alleged misuse, it blocked a small number of groups from accessing patient data via Particle's Carequality connection. Particle disputed these claims, however, stating that its data access was not fully severed and refuting Epic's accusations.

  6. Epic is the top EHR vendor in the U.S., with more than 3,000 hospitals relying on its platform.

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