By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Thursday said it reached a proposed settlement with Surescripts over a lawsuit accusing the health information technology firm of using illegal means to maintain monopolies over two portions of the electronic prescribing market.
The settlement will prohibit Surescripts “from engaging in exclusionary conduct and executing or enforcing non-compete agreements with current and former employees,” the FTC said in a statement.
The FTC in their 2019 lawsuit had accused Surescripts, which provides a range of electronic records and prescribing services to doctors, pharmacists and patients, of requiring long-term exclusivity from customers and punishing them with high prices if they bought some prescriptions from another company.
Surescripts provides a network that allows healthcare providers to send prescriptions to pharmacies electronically. It also contacts patients’ insurance companies to determine benefit eligibility.
“The FTC’s proposed order has a 20-year term and would prohibit Surescripts from engaging in the types of exclusionary conduct alleged in the FTC’s case,” the agency said.
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The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Diane Bartz and Mark Porter)