Health Gorilla and Epic: Why This Lawsuit Matters

The lawsuit filed by Epic, OCHIN, Reid Health, Trinity Health, and UMass Memorial against Health Gorilla has quickly become one of the most significant interoperability stories we’ve seen in a long time. I saw that the CEO, Bob Watson, is scheduled to present at the upcoming ViVE conference in LA. I’m not sure if that will help their case or not, but was certainly thinking we all need to stay on top of this story. If you haven’t seen the endless articles, here is my take.

Basically, the gist of this is that Epic, and the others I mentioned, alleges that Health Gorilla enabled improper access to hundreds of thousands of patient records by allowing third‑party organizations to appear as legitimate providers within national exchange networks. With sensitive data such as genetic, behavioral health, and reproductive information involved, the case raises serious questions about identity governance and the integrity of overall data exchange.

For healthcare organizations, this isn’t just a legal dispute; it’s a reminder that interoperability depends on trust, and trust depends on strong controls. CIOs, CISOs, and compliance leaders will need to revisit vendor frameworks, identify new proofing processes, and downstream data share agreements. As national exchange accelerates under TEFCA, the industry must balance speed with accountability, ensuring that data flowing across networks is both secure and appropriately accessed.

For consultants, this moment is a powerful reminder: industry trust can shift overnight, and clients increasingly rely on advisors who understand not just technology, but the governance, risk, and reputational dynamics that shape it. Staying informed isn’t optional anymore; it’s part of the value we bring.

Here is a great article with some great thoughts on why this matters: Epic and health systems sue Health Gorilla and data companies | Healthcare IT News

If you are going to ViVE, please share if you happen to see this presentation. I’ll be eager to hear if this goes down. Here is the link to Gorilla Health’s agenda: Speaker | Bob Watson | ViVE Event 2026