By Heather Landi 0
September 23, 2024
Source: Fierce Healthcare
Photo Source: Unsplash,
The health data company also detailed the Carequality Steering Committee's decision in the dispute, the first time it's been publicly disclosed. Particle said the steering committee fully agreed with Particle’s arguments, "expressly finding that Particle did absolutely nothing wrong and that Particle acted within the law and Carequality rules."
The Steering Committee, however, imposed a 'corrective action plan' on Particle that "gave Epic much of what it wanted while expressly disclaiming any finding of wrongdoing by Particle," the company wrote in the lawsuit.
Epic's actions have hurt Particle Health in the form of current and future lost customers and revenue. And, the Carequality dispute hindered Particle’s ability to compete and "is yet another example of Epic’s anticompetitive tactics," the company argued.
And, the company alleges that Epic's actions have led to negative consequences for doctors and patients by "blocking important clinical information to doctors who work on Epic’s EHR software."
"If left unfettered, Epic’s conduct will snuff out meaningful competition in the still-fledgling payer platform market, relegating yet another market to Epic’s monopoly control. That outcome would not only harm the customers of payer platforms (health plans), but also the patients, doctors, and hospitals affected by prices and plans that payer platforms establish for their health care reimbursements," Particle Health alleges in the lawsuit.
"Even putting that aside, Epic’s increasingly obstructive efforts to box out Particle also create inefficiencies and delays in the treatments actual patients need and receive, thereby harming the very constituents Epic purports to help," the company alleged.
Particle has also filed an information-blocking complaint with HHS' health IT arm, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, which has now been referred to HHS' Office of Inspector General (OIG).
"Our goals are straightforward: first, we need to end the information blocking that's actively harming patients," Prestinario said in a video posted this morning to LinkedIn. "Then, we need to ensure a level playing field where companies like Particle—but not just Particle—can continue to innovate, where providers and payers have choices, and where patients ultimately benefit from better, more efficient care."
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