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FTC Probes Epic Systems Over Potential Antitrust Violations

By  |  August 16, 2026
FTC Probes Epic Systems Over Potential Antitrust Violations

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is examining whether electronic health-record giant Epic Systems Corp. may have violated antitrust law, according to UA.NEWS, adding regulatory scrutiny to a company whose software occupies a central position in the American health-care system.

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    The inquiry remains preliminary and may not lead to enforcement action, UA.NEWS reported Aug. 15, citing reporting by STAT News and people who have been contacted by FTC officials in recent months. Those people work for health-care companies or advise businesses that interact with Epic, according to the report.

    Regulators have asked about a range of Epic’s policies and business practices, with questioning appearing to focus on at least two areas, according to UA.NEWS’s account of the STAT reporting. One involves employment agreements that restrict Epic workers from taking jobs at numerous health-care companies that compete with the software provider either directly or indirectly.

    A second area centers on Epic’s position in the market for electronic health records and its relationships with hospitals. Investigators have asked whether the company used that influence in ways that made it more difficult for competing technology providers to obtain patient data and other information needed to operate, according to UA.NEWS.

    Read more: The FTC’s New Healthcare Taskforce Needs to Prioritize Health Data Acquisition and Use In Competition Oversight

    The questions strike at two recurring concerns in US competition policy: restrictions on worker mobility and whether a dominant technology provider can use control over critical infrastructure or information to disadvantage rivals.

    Epic is the largest US provider of electronic health-record systems, according to UA.NEWS. Its policies have previously drawn complaints and litigation from former employees and competing companies, the publication reported, citing STAT.

    The FTC inquiry doesn’t establish that Epic broke the law. At an early stage, regulators can gather information about industry practices without ultimately filing a case, and UA.NEWS specifically reported that the investigation may conclude without charges.

    Still, an antitrust review of Epic could have implications beyond the company itself. Electronic health records sit at the intersection of hospitals, clinicians, patients and outside technology providers, making access to data an important competitive issue as health-care companies increasingly rely on digital services.

    The investigation also puts the focus on whether contractual restrictions and control over data can function as barriers to competition in health-care technology. According to UA.NEWS, FTC representatives’ recent inquiries suggest regulators are looking both at Epic’s relationships with its workforce and at the ability of rival technology companies to compete within an ecosystem where Epic holds substantial influence.

    Source: UA.NEWS