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A large healthcare system in Maine had to apologize after it mistakenly sent death notices to hundreds of living patients. A total of 531 people received condolence letters from MaineHealth. The letters also included advice on how the deceased’s next of kin could resolve their estates.
MaineHealth says a software malfunction caused a computer system error that generated the estate vendor letters. The company said in a statement that none of the living people who were told they were dead were listed as deceased in their actual medical records. The error also did not affect their ability to receive healthcare or their status in the system and the mistake has been remedied.
The non-profit company is the largest provider of medical services in the state of Maine. The MaineHealth system consists of a Level 1 trauma medical center and eight other hospitals. It employs over 20,000 people in Maine and New Hampshire.
“MaineHealth sincerely regrets this error and has sent apology letters to all patients who have been affected,” a company spokesperson said. The company also said that the system has been fixed to prevent such a mistake from occurring in the future.
‘It was really shocking and upsetting’
One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, showed one of the letters to WGME News. She admitted, “It was pretty upsetting to open that. Why would they say I was dead? So, it was really shocking and upsetting.”
“I mean, I’ve had some tests done and my doctor is part of MaineHealth,” she added. “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.”
After receiving the death notice she called Patient Financial Services at MaineHealth to let them know she was still alive.
“He said he was aware of the issue, and that they were going to send out apology letters, not letter, so I’m thinking there’s other people,” she said. “And he’s like, ‘I’m glad to hear that you’re still alive and well.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, me too.’ And then that was the end of the conversation.”