Disclaimer: This blog article was written by an AdvancedMD partner. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of AdvancedMD.
Particle Health filed a federal antitrust lawsuit claiming that Epic is blocking access to patient records. The lawsuit states that Epic is using its power to eradicate competition in the Healthcare Marketplace.
According to Particle Health, Epic has “cut off access to data for Particle’s customers, lobbed now-discredited complaints, and overwhelmed Particle’s support operations by stoking baseless security concerns.”
The suit seeks an adjudication that Epic has violated the Sherman Act and seeks monetary damages as well as injunctive relief, insisting Epic cease its anticompetitive practices.
“Over the past year, Epic has not only engaged in anticompetitive behavior but has purposefully blocked the exchange of patient information. Doctors need the full medical records of their patients, and this lawsuit represents more than just a business dispute. It’s about medical ethics and protecting patients’ rights to their health data,” Jason Prestinario, CEO of Particle Health, wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Particle Health also published a news release that said its lawsuit outlines how Epic allegedly blocked doctors’ access to records of more than 2,800 patients in a network of community oncology practices.
According to legal experts, the cost of filing a suit of this nature is greater than $1M, and Particle Health probably would not have spent the money to file the suit if they did not think they had a good case.
The ability to send and receive information seamlessly and easily is vital to collaborative care and smooth functions of medical businesses. It will be very interesting to watch this case and see what impact it has to those individuals and companies that wish to be able to move information from one EHR system to another.
In a nutshell, Epic claims that they have blocked access by Particle Health to remain compliant with the HIPAA regulations. Particle Health claims that they are compliant with HIPAA and that Epic is trying to monopolize the market and squash competition.
Personally, I am rooting for Particle Health to win this battle and for the government to enact rules and regulations that require more streamlined data exchange to better enable medical providers to get the information they need to make the best medical decisions for their patients.
This article was written by Michael L Brody at TLD Systems
For assistance for your practice to have a better HIPAA Security Risk Analysis and Risk Mitifation Plan contact TLD Systems at
https://www.tldsystems.com
[email protected]
(631) 403-6687
