Home / Business and Economy / Epic Systems Faces Antitrust Probe
Epic Systems Faces Antitrust Probe
15 Aug
Summary
- Epic Systems, a major healthcare database company, is under FTC antitrust investigation.
- The investigation focuses on how Epic grants or denies access to patient data.
- Epic is already involved in lawsuits over allegations of blocking rivals.
Epic Systems, a pivotal healthcare database company holding the medical records of hundreds of millions of Americans, is currently under an antitrust investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This probe, revealed by sources familiar with the matter, scrutinizes how Epic manages and potentially restricts data access for third-party health technology entities.
The investigation has involved the FTC sending investigative demands to industry players seeking information on Epic's data access policies. This situation unfolds as Epic, headquartered in Wisconsin, is already engaged in legal battles. Specifically, the state of Texas and competitor Particle Health have filed lawsuits accusing Epic of unfairly shutting out rivals.
Epic has refuted these accusations, asserting in court documents that its products are designed for interoperability with external systems. The company maintains that its healthcare provider clients, rather than Epic itself, are the ultimate decision-makers regarding patient record access. The FTC has declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
