Epic Systems has filed its formal response to Particle Health’s antitrust lawsuit, denying all allegations that it engaged in anticompetitive conduct or defamation against the health data exchange startup.
New York City-based Particle Health sued the Verona, Wis.-based EHR giant in September 2024, alleging Epic used its dominance in the electronic health record market to exclude Particle from health data-sharing networks, mislead customers and damage its reputation.
In a filing submitted Nov. 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Epic denied every claim, describing Particle’s lawsuit as “baseless” and accusing the startup of “facilitating the theft of patient health data.”
Here are six things to know:
- Epic said it acted to protect patients and providers after uncovering what it called improper data-sharing practices by Particle.
- The company admitted it filed a dispute against Particle through the Carequality framework but said it followed proper procedure.
- Epic noted that the Carequality Steering Committee issued a corrective action plan for Particle but made no finding of wrongdoing.
- Epic acknowledged issuing a public notice titled “Third-Party Security and Privacy Risk” and sending a June 28, 2024, email about alleged “inappropriate disclosures,” but denied saying Particle admitted wrongdoing.
- Epic rejected Particle’s characterization of a “payer platform market,” calling it a “contrived market of two — Epic and Particle” and pointed to other competitors including Datavant and Availity.
- Epic said several of Particle’s claims — including those tied to trade restraint and New York antitrust law — have already been dismissed by the court.
Epic told the court it is confident the remaining claims will also be dismissed and said it will continue focusing on “protecting the security of patient data and the trust in national data-sharing frameworks.”
Following the filing, Particle Health CEO Jason Prestinario wrote in a LinkedIn post that Epic’s answer “distorts settled facts and recycles arguments long laid to rest by the independent Carequality resolution.” He said Epic continues to “unfairly characterize Particle Health as a security threat,” adding that no HIPAA violations have been identified or complaints filed.
“We are confident discovery will reveal a pattern of evidence that makes it plain that for Epic, patient privacy is a pretext, not a true motivation,” Mr. Prestinario wrote. “As we always have, Particle Health remains focused on serving our customers and ultimately helping patients achieve better health outcomes.”
