"Its maker, a software company called Practice Fusion, was paid by a major o—id manufacturer to design it in an effort to boost pr-scrip-ions for addictive pain pills – even though overdose deaths had almost tripled during the prior 15 years, creating a public-health disaster. The software was used by tens of thousands of doctors’ offices.
Its existence was revealed this week thanks to a government investigation. Practice Fusion agreed to pay $145 million to resolve civil and criminal cases, according to documents filed in a Vermont federal court. Practice Fusion admitted to the scheme with an unnamed o—id maker, though the details of the government case closely match a public research partnership between Practice Fusion and Purdue Pharma Inc., which makes O-yco–in.
Representatives for Purdue Pharma and the Vermont U.S. attorney declined to comment. Health-software company Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., which bought Practice Fusion for $100 million in 2018, said in a statement the conduct predated the deal and it has “further strengthened” compliance at Practice Fusion, but didn’t answer specific questions about the settlement."