By Jody Godoy
Aug 14 (Reuters) – Epic Systems, a healthcare database company that holds the medical records of hundreds of millions of Americans, is facing an antitrust investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Epic runs the patient web portal MyChart along with other electronic health record systems. Its products are used by healthcare providers that collectively treat more than 280 million people in the U.S., according to the company’s website.
The FTC has sent investigative demands to others in the health technology industry seeking information about how Epic grants or withholds data access, the sources said.
A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment. A spokesperson for Epic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The privately held company headquartered in Wisconsin already faces lawsuits brought by the state of Texas and by competitor Particle Health accusing the company of shutting out rivals.
Epic has denied those allegations. Epic has said in court documents that its products are interoperable with outside systems, and that its healthcare provider customers, not Epic, control access to patient records.
(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York, Editing by Franklin Paul)
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