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Maine’s largest healthcare system accidentally sent condolence letters to more than 500 living patients in effect informing them that they had died.
MaineHealth attributed the blunder to a computer system error and apologized.
The episode began on 20 October, when the non-profit integrated healthcare system operating across Maine and New Hampshire mailed letters to 531 patients expressing condolences and providing instructions for their next of kin on how to resolve their estates.
According to MaineHealth, an error with the computer system responsible for generating estate vendor letters caused the letters to inadvertently be issued.
“MaineHealth sincerely regrets this error and has sent apology letters to all patients who have been affected,” the company told the Guardian in a statement. “At no time were these patients listed as deceased in their medical records, and the issue has been fully resolved.”
Nevertheless, some patients who received the letters reported that they were shaken. One woman described the experience as “really shocking and upsetting”.
Speaking to CBS13, the woman, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that she contacted MaineHealth to confirm her wellbeing, adding that she was worried about what might happen if her death had actually been registered. She also noted that she had an outstanding bill from MaineHealth.
A hospital employee “said he was aware of the issue, and that they were going to send out apology letters”, she told the outlet. She added that the hospital employee also told her: “I’m glad to hear that you’re still alive and well.”
The woman added: “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, me too.’
“I’ve had some tests done and my doctor is part of MaineHealth but I haven’t even been in the hospital for anything serious that I could have died from. So I don’t even know where they got that information.”
News of the death letter mishap circulated after a Maine civil jury in October awarded a $25m verdict to a woman whose daughter died of leukemia after being misdiagnosed with a different condition linked to men who use steroids. After her daughter’s death, the woman sued the MaineHealth-owned Mid Coast Medical Group for negligence.
