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Texas Sues Epic Systems, Accusing Health-Tech Giant of Anticompetitive Data Practices

By  |  December 11, 2025
Healthcare

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Epic Systems Corp., alleging the Wisconsin-based health-technology firm has used its influence over electronic health records to stifle competition and restrict access to patient information. The complaint, submitted Wednesday in a Texas state court, contends that Epic’s long-standing dominance in the U.S. electronic health records market has enabled the company to control how hospitals and patients interact with their own medical data — a central claim highlighted in the filing, according to Bloomberg.

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    Paxton’s office argues that Epic has for years relied on what the lawsuit describes as an entrenched “anticompetitive playbook,” asserting that hospitals become locked into Epic’s systems and face barriers when attempting to integrate competing technologies. Per Bloomberg, the attorney general said in the suit that, “For decades, Epic has amassed control over patient data by locking up hospitals into Epic’s EHS, which in turn allows Epic to insert itself as gatekeeper over the underlying patient data,” adding, “Epic controls who can access this data, when they can access it, and the terms by which they can access it — despite the simple fact that it is the hospitals’ and patients’ data, not Epic’s.”

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    The lawsuit also points to similar claims raised in a separate case brought last year by Particle, a patient-health platform that accused Epic of violating federal antitrust laws by cutting off data access for its users.

    Related: Hospital Mergers and Quality: Lessons from a Recent Antitrust Case

    Epic has pushed back strongly on the Texas complaint. The company said the suit is “flawed and misguided by its failure to understand both Epic’s business model and position in the market.” In a statement, the firm defended its role in nationwide health-information exchange, stating, “Every month, we improve quality of care by helping providers see a more comprehensive picture of their patient through over 725 million record exchanges — more than any other electronic health records vendor,” noting that “Over half of these are with non-Epic systems.”

    According to Bloomberg, Paxton is seeking a court order that would force the company to reestablish competitive conditions, as well as monetary damages and fees for the state. The filing accuses Epic of violating Texas antitrust and consumer protection statutes.

    The case is titled Texas vs. Epic Systems, No. 236-372872-25, in Texas District Court in Tarrant County.

    Source: Bloomberg