:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(742x562:744x564)/mainehealth-medical-center-portland-110425-341d3a1f1b774c68afff13aa7f01956c.jpg?ssl=1 "531 Patients Accidentally Told They’re Dead After Health System Error")
NEED TO KNOW
- On Monday, Oct. 20, MaineHealth accidentally sent 531 patients letters stating that they were dead
- A woman from Sanford said it was “really shocking and upsetting” to receive a letter on Thursday regarding her death, per CBS 13 News
- MaineHealth has sent an apology letter to all affected patients and said a computer system “error” led to the mistake
Over 500 people were left in shock after receiving letters regarding their deaths despite being very much alive.
On Monday, Oct. 20, MaineHealth, a non-profit integrated health system that provides services in Maine and New Hampshire, sent letters of condolence to 531 patients along with information on how their next of kin could resolve their estates, according to ABC News and News Center Maine.
The organization said in a statement that the letters were accidentally sent due to “an error in MaineHealth’s computer system,” per WGME.
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“MaineHealth sincerely regrets this error and has sent apology letters to all patients who have been affected,” a spokesperson told ABC News. “At no time were these patients listed as deceased in their medical records and the issue has been fully resolved.”
A woman from Sanford, who has chosen to protect her identity, told CBS 13 News that it was “pretty upsetting” to receive a letter from MaineHealth extending their condolences.
“Why would they say I was dead? It was really shocking and upsetting,” she told the outlet.
The woman said that she contacted the company to report that she was still alive and to get more information. She was concerned about what could happen if they registered her death.
“He said he was aware of the issue, and that they were going to send out apology letters,” the woman recalled to CBS 13 News. She added that the worker told her, “I’m glad to hear that you’re still alive and well.”
“And I’m like, ‘Yeah, me too’ ” she continued. “And then that was the end of the conversation.”
The woman added that she has an outstanding bill from MaineHealth, and the rest of the condolence letter she received was about the company trying to collect from her estate.
“I’ve had some tests done and my doctor is part of MaineHealth,” she told the outlet. “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,” the woman concluded.
MaineHealth did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Nov. 4.
