A federal judge has allowed key claims in Particle Health’s antitrust lawsuit against Epic to move forward, marking the first time such allegations against the EHR giant have gotten this far. The case centers on Epic’s alleged use of its influence over the Carequality data exchange to block Particle’s access to patient records and stifle competition in the emerging payer platform market.
Following a months-long dispute, data platform Particle Health filed an antitrust lawsuit against Epic, alleging that the EHR giant is using its dominance in the market to prevent competition in the payer platform space. Particle believes the lawsuit is an “unprecedented challenge” to Epic’s market power, while Epic thinks the startup’s claims are “baseless.”
Alan Murray on improving access for medical transportation.
A group of labor unions have filed an antitrust complaint against UPMC. They alleged that the health system has prevented its workers from being able to advocate for themselves and their patients through “a draconian system of mobility restrictions and widespread labor law violations that lock in sub-competitive pay and working conditions.”
Two Pennsylvania lawmakers are warning their constituents about UPMC, claiming the health system has built a monopoly that negatively affects both employee wellbeing and patient safety. They said UPMC has “considerable power over workers, which it wields to keep wages low, conditions unsatisfactory and prevent union organizing.”
CarePoint Health, a three-hospital health system in New Jersey, recently filed a lawsuit against RWJBarnabas Health, the largest acute care provider in the state. The complaint alleged that RWJBarnabas conspired with real estate investors, New Jersey's largest payer and government officials to eliminate competition and monopolize acute care services in the state.
A class-action lawsuit, filed by six North Carolina residents, alleges that HCA Healthcare bought Mission Health to gain monopolistic control in the Western part of the state, enabling it to drive up prices while lowering the quality of care.
CEO and neuroscientist Dr. Iftach Dolev on how the new device can bring a powerful tool to psychiatrists and neurologists alike.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s suit amounts to a giant test case with the potential for national repercussions. If California prevails and is able to tame prices at Northern California’s most powerful, dominant health system, regulators and politicians in other states are likely to follow.