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Epic, Health Systems Sue Health Gorilla Over Alleged Abuse of Data-Sharing Networks

Plaintiffs seek an emergency injunction to cut off exchange access, with a request to force the return or destruction of disputed data.

Overview

  • Epic, OCHIN, Reid Health, Trinity Health and UMass Memorial filed the suit Jan. 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
  • The complaint alleges nearly 300,000 patient records from Epic users were retrieved under false pretenses through Carequality and TEFCA pathways for non-treatment uses, with additional records reportedly drawn from other providers including the VA.
  • Plaintiffs say defendants posed as providers using shell entities, sham NPI numbers and fictitious websites, then injected junk clinical documents to mimic care activity.
  • Health Gorilla, a TEFCA-designated QHIN, is accused of insufficient vetting of participants and ignoring red flags; the company denies wrongdoing and claims Epic is restricting data access to stifle competition.
  • The filing cites a pattern of rebranding by entities flagged for misuse, including a firm banned in 2024 followed by a related company resuming access, and warns the conduct erodes trust in interoperability and burdens providers with monitoring and remediation.