531 Patients Accidentally Told They’re Dead After ‘Shocking and Upsetting’ Health System Error

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• On Monday, October 20, MaineHealth mistakenly sent letters to 531 patients stating they had died

• A Sanford woman said Thursday it was “really shocking and saddening” to receive a letter about his death, according to CBS 13 News

• MaineHealth sent an apology letter to all affected patients and said a computer system “error” caused the error

More than 500 people were left in shock after receiving letters about their deaths despite being alive.

MaineHealth, a nonprofit integrated health system serving Maine and New Hampshire, sent letters of condolence to 531 patients on Monday, Oct. 20, along with information on how their loved ones can resolve their estates. ABC News And News Center Maine.

The letters were sent in error due to “an error in MaineHealth’s computer system,” the organization said in a statement. WGME.

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“MaineHealth sincerely regrets this error and has sent letters of apology to all affected patients,” a spokesperson told ABC News. he said. “These patients were never listed as dead in their medical records, and the problem has been completely resolved.”

A Sanford woman who chose to protect her identity said: CBS 13 News He said it was “pretty sad” to receive a letter from MaineHealth offering condolences.

“Why did they say I died? It was really shocking and sad,” he told a media outlet.

The woman said she contacted the company to let them know she was still alive and to get more information. He was worried about what might happen if they registered his death.

“He said he was aware of the problem and they would be sending letters of apology,” the woman told CBS 13 News. He added that the worker told him: “I’m glad to hear you’re still alive and well.”

“And I say, ‘Yeah, me too,'” he continued. “And then came the end of the conversation.”

The woman added that she had 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 had some tests done and my doctor is part of MaineHealth,” she told the outlet. “But I didn’t even go to the hospital because of a serious condition where I could have died.

“So I don’t even know where they got that information,” the woman said.

MaineHealth did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Nov. 4.

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