Epic Restricts Rival Access to Patient Data — SkimNews
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Epic generates more than $6.5 billion in annual revenue, wins the lion’s share of new contracts, and holds data on some 8 in 10 Americans, with its record-keeping systems ubiquitous inside the nation’s largest hospitals.
- STAT found that Epic selectively withholds patient-data access from rival software tools, leaving Epic’s own products unchallenged and concentrating control over data needed for medicine’s next generation of technology.
- Executives of 12 companies showcased on Epic’s app marketplace told STAT that Epic undercut their businesses by denying access to crucial data interfaces and technical specifications, spreading negative rumors about their products, and charging high fees.
- Epic says it provides more connections to patient data than federal law requires and has won praise from many hospital customers for its support.
- Some hospital executives and app developers said Epic’s growing market power is blocking adoption of the most beneficial software products.
Why it matters: With Epic generating more than $6.5 billion a year and holding data on some 8 in 10 Americans, its control over data interfaces is a material gatekeeper for rival developers and hospitals. The concrete consequence is concentration: Epic’s products remain unchallenged while developers say beneficial software is blocked, even as Epic says it exceeds federal requirements for data connections.
Ask SkimNews
